The Council: Reading MoA
by BlackConverse3
Summary: Tensions were running high in the Big House until a book appeared called The Mark of Athena. Yes, another reading story, rated T because I'm completely unpredictable and insane! :)
1. Chapter 1

**Sadly, I do not own Percy Jackson or the HoO series. This disclaimer goes to the amazing Rick Riordan! **

Tensions were running high in the Big House as the cabin leaders of each cabin, sat at the Ping Pong table in the center of the room. Every seat was taken except for one at the head of the table, which was covered with dust because no one had dare try to sit there.

The rest of the campers occupied the couches, chairs, the floor and the couch arms. Silence was broken by Clarisse, daughter of Ares, who said in a gruff voice, "Any news?"

Everyone's eyes were on Chiron, the camp's activity director and centaur. Chiron released a sigh and answered, "No my dear. We don't have any news from Annabeth yet. I'm sure they've made it to New Rome and found Percy." He turned his head and gazed at the picture on the wall.

It was of Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson, taken a few weeks after the war. They both had wide smiles and Percy had his arm around her shoulder and Annabeth's arm was wrapped around his waist. Everyone wore grim expressions as they remembered Percy, the leader of Camp Half-Blood.

Sadness coiled in Chiron's chest and he said to the campers, "They'll make it."

"They will. Come on, guys. Lighten up a little. Percy would hate it to see you guys like this." Thalia, daughter of Zeus and Lieutenant of Artemis's Hunters, said. The pain was clear in her voice as she said Percy's name.

Her black hair was choppy and at the top of her hair was her silver circlet braided into her hair. The Hunters all stood next to her, and some even looked sad, which is surprising since they hate boys and wouldn't hesitate to shoot one with their arrows or turn them into jackrabbits.

"There's going to be another war, isn't there sir?" Chris, son of Hermes, voiced the question that was on everyone's mind. Chiron opened his mouth to reply when a bright white light filled the room and a large package fell onto the table. Some campers drew swords, startled by the loud _thump _it made.

"Put your swords away. It's a package." Chiron said and wheeled himself over to the package. "Thalia. If you would." The Lieutenant nodded to Chiron and picked up the package and unwrapped it. Her electric blue eyes widened as she held up what looked like a book. "What is it Thalia?" Katie, daughter of Demeter asked. "It's a book. It's called the Mark of Athena." On the cover was a picture of Jason Grace and Percy Jackson. Percy was on a black Pegasus and Jason was riding a horse that looked like it was formed out of clouds. They both held swords and looked about to fight. Owl eyes were in the background.

"There's a note." Katie picked up the fallen piece of paper and opened it and began reading**_:_** **_Dear demigods, hunters, Chiron and my dear Oracle, This book contains the journey of the seven. We thought you'd want to read the adventures and learn what's in store for the future. A few guests will be joining you shortly so don't try and kill anyone yet._** **_Love, Apollo and the Fates._**

Several campers began whispering to each other, some looked nervous and some looked excited.

"Oh! Blackmail!" Travis and Connor Stoll sang.

Clarisse snorted and asked, "Who's going to read first?"

Thalia raised her hand and said, "I'll read first." She glared at the campers' faces, as if daring them to object.

No one did.

Everyone settled back down with their cabins, while a few campers folded the Ping Pong Table, or the Almighty War Table, whatever floats your boat. Thalia sat next to her Hunters and began.

**Annabeth I**

Travis grinned, "We get to know what Annie's thinking!" Thalia and Clarisse glared at him until he fell silent. Thalia then cleared her throat, watching the Stoll's out of the corner of her eye and began again.

**Until she meet the exploding statue-**

"Exploding statue? How do you have an exploding statue?" Thalia grabbed a pillow from the ground and chucked it at Connor. "Ow! Jezz Thals, no need to be Miss Grumpy Butt." He grinned at her and then she zapped him with lightning.

"Continue Thalia."

**Annabeth thought she was prepared for anything.**

"When isn't she prepared?" Will, son of Apollo muttered and Malcolm, a son of Athena rolled his eyes, "What do you expect, her to be like Percy?" Some campers stifled laughter as they imagined Annabeth like her reckless and disorganized boyfriend, Percy Jackson.

"Boys." The Hunters muttered and then Thalia snapped, "Shut up, all of you! I want to know if my best friend is alive!" Everyone fell silent.

**She's paced the deck of their flying warship-**

"I still can't get over how cool that is." Chris said and his girlfriend, Clarisse smiled and said, "Yeah. It's pretty cool. Like the crossbows and the-" "Please, shut up before I zap you and fry off your eyebrows."

**-the Argo II, checking and double-checking the ballistae to make sure they were locked down. She confirmed that the white "We come in peace" flag was flying from the mast. **

"Good. So you don't get attacked by crazy Romans." Clarisse nodded approvingly to the book. Travis leaned towards Connor. "Should we tell her?"

"Nah. I don't want to get my head stuffed into a toilet today."

"Good thinking. If only we could become one with the plumbing, huh Con?"

The two twins looked at each other for a moment before the busted out laughing, falling onto their backs.

"What's so funny?" Chris asked his brothers and the two curly haired boys managed to choke out, "Percy...toilets...first day..."

Thalia raised her eyebrow and then asked, "What're you-" She paused and then shook her head, "Forget it. If it's important, I'll find out." She opened her mouth to read but then the room darkened and several girly-screams arose from the pitch black room. "Connor, Travis! Stop screaming!" Malcolm yelled and then Drew, daughter of Aphrodite screamed, "Something's touching me!"

"Get away from me Travis!"

"Shut up Connor!"

"Clovis!"

Suddenly, the lights flickered on and Connor screamed, "Butterfly Sprinkles!"

Campers looked at him and he tugged at his shirt collar and said sheepishly, "We aren't screaming random names anymore? Okay, sorry."

Then a collective gasp sounded through everyone in the room as they realized the gods were standing among them. And at their feet, laid an unconscious teenage boy.

Thalia and Grover gasped and Thalia covered her mouth and whispered one word. "_Percy_."

**How was that? My first story and yes I made Perseus Jackson and the gods appear because they're amazing!  
****Review please! Review that you hate it, that you love it and give me some suggestions that you think I should put in. (Hey...that kinda rhymed :D) And also, tell me how you felt about the Mark of Athena? Did you like it? Did it make you cry?  
Here's my thoughts: **

**The reunion: Made me laugh and I thought it was perfect.**

**The reference to the dam hole that Percy made?: I was cracking up and my dad was looking at me weirdly.**

**The Stable Scene?: XD "Oh my gods. Did Frank just refer to what I think he was referring to?"**

**Percy basically saying he wants to spend the rest of his life with Annabeth?: :') I was smiling like crazy through that chapter.**

**The pain our favorite couple felt through their separation?: I knew they can push through it because they love each other.**

**The ending?: I cried my eyes out for 2 hours. But when Percy said that he could never leave her, anyone in their right mind could tell that he loved her. They belong together and they will make it out. **

**Well, on that note, review and I'll be updating in like...2 days maybe? :)**

**Have fun fellow FanFiction Readers and remember, eat blue!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry for cutting it short. I had homework to finish and an essay due the next day! Thanks for the reviews, they made my day! :) **

**Disclaimer: ****Everything in bold goes to Rick Riordan. I do not own Percy Jackson. **

Apollo and Poseidon were crouched next to the boy, Poseidon bore a worried expression while the sun god checked Percy's heart beat. "It's very faint, but he's alive." Apollo reported, looking up at the campers, who now looked worried and frightened. "Everyone, off the couch. Ares campers, move Percy." Artemis ordered and three guys picked up Percy carefully and moved him to the couch. "Back up. All of you." Poseidon said and the campers did as they were told, moving away from the body, except for Thalia and Grover, who stared wide eyed at their best friend.

Percy looked horrible. His shirt was rippled to pieces, cuts covered his bare arms and his usual tan skin was pale and he looked almost like Nico, son of Hades. His face was bruised and bloodied, his raven black hair messy and clotted with blood.

"Oh gods. Percy." Chiron whispered, looking at his student and basically son, with fear. Apollo then rolled him over and gapped at the deep bloody gasp running down his back. Several small cuts covered his back and one spot in particular was purple and black, a small circle on the small of his back. The scars on his back looked new, while some looked older. His back looked like a kitty scratching mat with chunks of skin peeling off his back, leaving it raw and exposed.

"This wound is bad. It'll take a few hours to heal, but first I need some nectar and bandages." Apollo said and his son, Will handed him the supplies and everyone watched as Apollo spilled a few drops of the godly drink onto Percy's back. Percy let out a low whimper and his whole body tensed up with pain. Then, Apollo tilted the flask and once the amber liquid connected with the deep gash on his back, Percy released a pained scream. "Okay, okay. I'll just have to wrap his back and heal his smaller wounds first." Apollo touched his patient's back but right as he did, his eyes glowed gold and pain flashed through Apollo's body, like he was just struck by Kronos' scythe. A vision showed in his mind.

_Percy was on the ground, ropes tying him up so he couldn't move. Then he screamed in pain and an old woman's voice said, "My dear pawn. Nothing can help you now, no one is coming to save you. No one cares about the Savior of Olympus, Slayer of my son Kronos. The gods abandoned you and you will be mine forever, my handsome little pawn. Suffer now, let the one you love see your heart." Images appeared, one of Percy as a young boy being hit in the face by a greasy man with a beer bottle in his hand, one of Percy being call stupid by a teacher and the class laughing at him, one of Percy in a fight with a few guys and one of Percy watching Luke and Annabeth talking. "She loves the hero, Luke. If you had died, she wouldn't have shed a single tear and she would have forgotten you. Everything you wish to have will never happen and you will die on the steps of Olympus as the ones you love watch as I drain your blood. Sweet dreams, my little pawn." Percy released a cry and Annabeth screamed, "Percy, don't listen to her!" A single tear slipped down his cheek, washing a line of blood and dirt away._

Apollo blinked once and watched as Percy squirmed slightly in pain. "Apollo. What did you see?" Athena asked but Apollo shook his head and snapped his fingers. Percy's clothes were replaced by gray drawstring pants and no shirt so Apollo could take care of his wounds. Apollo called his son, Will and made him hold Percy's now lifeless body up so he could wrap the gauze around his chest and shoulder.

_The pit, that dark gapping pit- Tartarus._

After he finished, Apollo healed Percy's scratched hands in a second and then said, "I don't want to risk healing him anymore, not until I find out about his back. So, we're reading a book?"

Katie nodded and Apollo smiled slightly, nodding to Thalia, who picked up the book and went to sit near Percy, along with Grover. 12 small thrones appeared and the gods settled down, while Hestia sat next to Chiron and Artemis settled down with her Hunters.

Thalia glanced at Percy once, pain filled in her eyes at his battered state, before she reluctantly began reading again.

**She reviewed the plan with the rest of the crew- and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan. **

"Is this Annabeth?" Hestia asked and Chiron nodded. "She's a sweet girl." She whispered and glanced at Percy, feeling pained by the sight of the hero.

**Most importantly, she's pulled aside their war-crazed chaperone, Coach Gleeson Hedge-**

"You chose him to watch the brats?" Mr. D asked, gazing at his old friend. Chiron nodded and Mr. D shrugged, "Whatever. Good packman player he is. Might teach them some manners." Campers rolled their eyes and Chris muttered, "You need to learn some manners."

**-and encourage him to take the morning off in his cabin and watch reruns of mixed martial arts championships. **

"Rather that then this." Ares, the war god grumbled and Aphrodite shushed him.

**The last thing they needed as they flew a magical Greek trireme into a potentially hostile Roman camp was a middle-aged satyr in gym clothes waving a club and yelling "Die!" **

"No. That's exactly what you need." Connor and Hermes laughed and some campers managed to chuckle.

**Everything seemed to be in order. Even that mysterious chill she'd been feeling since the ship launched had dissipated, at least for now.**

"And while we're on the topic of mysterious chills, the gods and I need to speak once Master Perseus-" "Percy would kill you if he heard you call him that." Chris said but Apollo ignored him. "-Jackson wakes up and is sort of healed enough to speak to us, we need to speak to him." Zeus nodded to his son and then looked at his daughter, "Continue Thalia."

**The warship descended through the clouds, but Annabeth couldn't stop second-guessing herself.**

"Good." Malcolm said and several campers rolled their eyes at the son of Athena.

**What if this was a bad idea?**

"It is." Athena remarked.

**What if the Romans panicked and attacked them on sight?**

Katie smiled, "Percy would stop them." The campers nodded and then Thalia muttered, "If he has his memory." The room seemed to darken with their expressions.

**The Argo II definitely did not look friendly. Two hundred feet long, with a bronze-plated hill, mounted repeating crossbows fore and aft, a flaming metal dragon for a figurehead, and two rotating ballistae amidships that could fire explosives bolts powerful enough to blast through concrete...well, it wasn't the most appropriate ride for a meet-in-greet with the neigh ors.**

Clarisse snorted, "No kidding, that ship is amazing." Ares nodded.

**Annabeth had tried to give the Romans a heads-up. She'd asked Leo to send one of his special inventions- a holographic scroll- to alert their friends inside the camp. Hopefully the message had gotten through. Leo had wanted to paint a giant message on the bottom of the hull-**

"I hate Star Trek?" Will suggested, trying hard not to smile. "Give me Percy Jackson or I'll kill you? Love Annabeth XOXXXXXXX." Travis said, smirking at Connor. Thalia rolled her eyes and muttered, "Morons." "Come on, you really think Annabeth Chase, _Annabeth Chase, _is going to kiss Prissy when she sees him after 7 months?" Clarisse said and Travis looked at her and grinned, "No. I think Annabeth is going to make-out with him in front of the Romans."

"No. She's going to hurt him in some way, I bet 30 gold dramacas."

"Deal."

**Wassup?-**

Some gods snorted with laughter and campers chuckled at the thought of that.

**-with a smiley face-**

Now all the gods were laughing, even Hades cracked a smile.

**-but Annabeth vetoed the idea.**

"Aw! Annabeth!" Connor whined and then he ducked when Katie threw a pillow at his face. He popped back up and smirked, "Ha! You missed m-" A rock sailed across the room and nailed him right in the middle of the forehead and he fell back onto his back. Thalia tossed another rock in the air like she was tossing a baseball and she said, "Anyone else have anything to say about my best friend?" Silence greeted her. "Good."

**She wasn't sure the Romans had a sense of humor. Too late to turn back now. The clouds broke around their hull, revealing the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below them.**

"The Oakland Hills are made of carpet?" (I thought that at first when I read this the first time :))

"Oh my gods, Travis."

**Annabeth gripped one of the bronze shields that lined the starboard rail. Her three crewmates took their places. **

"Leo, Jason and Piper." Pollux, son of Dionysus said.

**On the stern quarter deck, Leo rushed around like a mad-man, checking his gauges and wrestling levers.**

"That boy has way to much sugar in him." Will muttered and Nyssa snorted," You have no idea. Try living with him."

**Most helmsmen would've been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors form a Nintendo Wii. **

"Freaking cool though." Chris muttered.

**He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast.**

"Ah. You gotta love ADHD." Travis said and high-fived Connor and Chris.

**Even by demigod standards, Leo was seriously ADHD. Piper paced back and forth between the main mast and the ballistae, practicing her lines.**

Drew sneered and Aphrodite perked up, wanting to hear about her daughter.

**"Lower your weapons," she murmured. "We just want to talk." Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over Annabeth, filling her with the desire to drop her dagger and have a nice long chat.**

"Charmspeak." Aphrodite smiled, happy for her daughter, Piper.

**For a child of Aphrodite, Piper tried hard to play down her beauty. **

"She really is hot." Connor muttered and Clarisse smacked on the back of the head and Chris snickered as his brother groaned in pain.

"Clarisse, you are freaking awesome." The daughter of Ares smiled at her boyfriend and Ares muttered something about staying away from his daughter.

"Connor, remember the last time you tried to flirt with a girl who had a boyfriend?" Katie asked, trying not to smile.

Connor turned red and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Note to campers: Never, under any circumstances, try and flirt with Annabeth when Percy's a few feet away, teaching a sword-fighting class. It's suicide."

Campers stifled their laughter and Athena rolled her eyes, trying not to smile.

Rachael smirked and said, "You were in the infirmary for 4 days."

**Today she was dressed in tattered jeans, worn-out sneakers, and a white tank-top with pink Hello Kitty designs on it.**

Drew's lips curled up in disgust and she rolled her eyes as Aphrodite nodding approvingly of the outfit.

**(Maybe it was a joke, though Annabeth could never tell with Piper.)**

"I'm pretty sure it was a joke." Lacy said and smiled, thinking about her friend.

**Her choppy hair was braided down the right side with a eagle's feather. Then there was Piper's boyfriend-Jason. **

Zeus flickered to his Roman form for a moment before he blinked and he controlled himself to stay Greek.

**He stood at the bow on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword. Otherwise he looked calm for a guy making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood T-Shirt-**

Campers cheered for their camp.

**-he donned a toga and a purple cloak-symbols of his old rank as praetor. **

Thalia smiled, proud of her little brother while Zeus cracked a smile.

**With his wind-ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control- like a son of Jupiter should. **

Several campers raised their eyebrows.

"Is she checking him out?"

Thalia turned and glared at the son of Nike and snapped, "No! She just describing him, stupid!"

The camper sunk behind one of his siblings at her electric blue glare.

**He'd grown up in Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitant to blow the ship out of the sky. **

"Yeah. Hopefully."

**Annabeth tried to hide it, but she still didn't completely trust the guy. He acted to perfect-**

"Well, he is a Roman and a child of Jupiter. It's only natural that he acts perfect." Hera grumbled.

**-always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. **

"Okay, now he's nothing like Percy." Malcolm said and Thalia chuckled.

"No kidding. Percy never follows the rules."

Hestia shook her head, "He does do the honorable thing through."

Will nodded, "True."

**He even looked to perfect. **

"So does Percy." Lacy argued. "But Percy has more of a rebel look."

A few Aphrodite girls sighed and Drew muttered, "I love bad boys."

Thalia's bright blue eyes flared with anger and she snapped, "Well, sorry to burst your bubble but he has a girlfriend!"

Drew scowled, her nose scrunching up like a pug's **(but everyone know Pugs are just adorable and Drew is ugly, through I love her character :) ) **and she said, "Annabeth? Oh please. Everyone knows they're going to break up. They're a lost cause. I mean, he's been missing for seven months and they're not even supposed to be together. He doesn't even love her."

In that moment, Thalia threw down the book and lunged at Drew, only to be held back by Clarisse.

"Come on you two. Let's keep reading so we can find out if something happens to Prissy." Thalia muttered something about sticking her hunting knives in Drew before shrugging off the daughter of Ares and sat back down, picking up the book.

**In the back of her mind, she had a negative thought. What if this was a trick and he betrays us? What if we sail in Camp Jupiter and he says, ****_Hey Romans! Check out these prisoners and this cool ship I brought you!_**

"He wouldn't do that!" Thalia argued and Grover soothed her, "She's just being careful." Though, Grover didn't trust him either, after what happened to Percy.

**Annabeth doubted that would happen. Still, she couldn't look at him without getting a bitter taste in her mouth.**

"Why-Oh...because of Percy." Thalia whispered and several campers looked down.

**He'd been part of Hera's forced "exchanged program" to introduce the two camps. Her most Annoying Majesty-**

"Wow. Percy's rubbing off on her." Thalia laughed and the two Hermes twins looked each other.

"Yeah. Perce is rubbing off on her."

Everyone was silent for a moment before they yelled, "Travis!" Pillows and rocks smacked the twins, silencing them.

Chiron looked slightly annoyed and he muttered, "I'm sure Percy has more sense than that. I mean it's not like he's done anything reckles-" He paused, campers looking at him with raised eyebrows and then he shook his head, "Nevermind. He has."

While the campers stifled their laughter at what Chiron said, Hera scowled because of what Annabeth said.

**-Queen of Olympus, has convinced the other gods that their two sets of children- Roman and Greek- had to combine forces to save the world from the evil goddess Gaea, who was awakening-**

The campersand hunters looked nervous, glancing at the gods, who were avoiding their children's eye contact.

**-from the earth, and her horrible children the giants. Without warning, Hera had plucked up Percy Jackson, Annabeth's boyfriend-**

Aphrodite squealed happily, "I did such a good job with their love life." Poseidon narrowed his sea-green eyes at the love goddess and snapped, "You better not have."

The love goddess pouted, "But Poseidon! He's just such a sweetheart, I had to! He was just confused about his feelings for Annabeth when I had my little talk with him."

Thalia and Grover choked on the air and Grover asked, "Wait...when we were going to rescue Lady Artemis and Annabeth?"

The goddess nodded and beamed at them, "Yes! It was so much fun, he looked so nervous and adorable. But I wish I could have had one of my own children break his heart."

Rachael snorted quietly, "Oh, wow. And I thought my dad was shallow."

Aphrodite rolled her beautiful blue eyes and smiled, "Don't be like that dear. Remember those two love triangles Percy was in? So much fun. But, those meant for each other will stay together."

Everyone completely ignored that Aphrodite said something sort of smart and Chris winced and muttered, "Poor Perce. Two love triangles? Ugh...just thinking about it hurts my head."

A growl came from the corner of the room and Percy's jaw twitched before he rolled over, his head burying into the couch.

"Dam, I think Perce can hear us." Grover said, trying not to laugh.

Demeter looked at the demigods with concern, "Won't he suffocate?"

Thalia looked at him and shrugged, "Nah. If he can breathe underwater, I'm sure breathing into a couch isn't really _that_ different."

Chiron fought back an amused smile and said, "It is Thalia."

The daughter of Zeus then shrugged again and kept reading.

**-wiped his memory-**

Campers, including Thalia and Grover, glared at Hera.

**-and sent him to a Roman camp. In exchange, the Greeks had gotten Jason. None of that was Jason's fault; but every time Annabeth saw him, she remember how much she missed Percy. **

"They really love each other don't they?" A girl from the Iris cabin asked.

Grover smiled sadly, "Yeah, they do. If anyone deserves to be with someone they love, it's them."

Thalia nodded and said, "They've had enough pain in their lifetime without having to deal with_ this_." She narrowed her eyes at the gods before she continued reading.

**Percy...who was somewhere below them right now. **

Artemis stated, "That's not going to help her concentrate."

She glanced at her Lieutenant, as she was watching her best friend as he slept deeply, his breaths were shaky and his fingers twitched as if his fingers were looking for someone else.

The Savior of Olympus looked so small and in pain, so unlike him, that Artemis felt pained for him.

After everything he's been through, he didn't deserve to be a pawn for the gods again.

**Oh, gods. Panic welled inside her. She forced it down. She couldn't afford to get overwhelmed. **

"Good. Don't get distracted by Percy's salty lips and his gorgeous, kind and sparkling sea-green eyes. His amazing muscular tan arms with his lean swimmer's body." Travis said in a dreamy voice and then campers looked at him nervously.

Then he shook his head and said, "Ugh...that's what Annabeth said. In her diary." His dreamy expression changed into a smirk and he said, "See." He held up a black book and Connor smiled, "Genius, bro."

"Travis, she's going to kill you once she finds out." Katie scolded the son of Hermes, who shrugged.

"I found it in a locked chest under her bed along with one Percy's favorite sweatshirt and a shirtless picture of Percy sleeping and this hilarious picture I found that I will show you when Percy wakes up."

**I am a child of Athena, she told herself. I have to stick to my plan and not get distracted. **

"Too late."

**She felt it again- the familiar shiver, as if a psychotic snowman had crept behind her and was breathing down her neck. She turned, but no one was there.**

"Psychotic snowman?" Katie said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Wow. Annabeth's thought as hilarious." Chris said, chuckling.

**Must be her nerves. Even in the world of gods and monsters, Annabeth couldn't believe a new warship would be haunted. The Argo II was well protected. The Celestial bronze shields along the rails were enchanted to ward off monsters, and their onboard satyr, Coach Hedge, would have sniffed out any intruders. **

Grover sighed, "Gleeson has a good nose but he's kind of...out there."

**Annabeth wished she could pray to her mother for guidance, but that wasn't possible now.**

"What happened?" Malcolm asked his mother, who looked away and ignored her son's question.

**Not after last month, when she'd had that horrible encounter with her mom and gotten the worst present of her life...**

"What happened Athena?" Poseidon asked and she glared at him.

"None of your business Poseidon." Her grey eyes flashing with anger.

He narrowed his eyes, knowing she was hiding something.

**The cold pressed closer. She thought she heard a faint voice in the wind, laughing. Every muscle in her body tensed. Something was about to go terribly wrong.**

"She should listen to her instincts. There always right." Clarisse muttered.

**She almost ordered Leo to reverse course. Then, in the valley below, horns sounded. **

"Romans." Connor breathed and Clarisse rolled her eyes.

"Really? I thought it was the Muffin Man."

"Really? Why would the Muffin Man be in California, he lives in Cherry Lane...or something like that."

She sighed and said, "Your hopeless. Thalia, continue before I break his arm."

**The Romans had spotted them. **

"Told you."

"No one argued with you." Hermes pointed out.

**Annabeth thought she knew what to expect. Jason had described Camp Jupiter in great detail. Still, she had trouble believing her eyes.**

"That's bad, you should trust your eyes."

"People won't be able to trust their eyes once I'm done with you Stoll!" Thalia threatened and the Hunters smiled at her happily.

**Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snaked around one side and curled towards the center like a capital letter G, emptying into a sparkling blue lake. Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. She recognized landmarks Jason had told her- the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, the neighborhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens. **

"That sounds beautiful." Katie said and everyone nodded.

"it is." Chiron said and Will cocked his head to the side. "You've been there, sir?"

"Of course. Absolutely breathtaking in person. I used to go there to visit Lupa, the wolf goddess who raised Remus and Romulus. Didn't you know that all old people know each other?" He added, his eyes glinting with amusement.

**She saw evidence of the Roman's recent battle with an army of monsters. The dome was cracked open on a building she guessed was the Senate House. The forum's broad plaza was pitted with craters. Some fountains and statues were in ruins. Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafes, gawking and pointing as the ship descended. **

"It is an amazing ship. Your son did a good job." Ares said, glancing at Hephaestus, who nodded and sat up straighter.

**About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill. It looked just like the illustrations Annabeth had seen in the military history books-with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae. Inside, perfect rows of white barracks lined the main road-the Via Principalis. **

**A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant.**

Jaws dropped and then Mark, son of Ares whined, "We should get a war elephant!"

Chiron then sighed, "No Mark. We are not getting a war elephant."

**Annabeth wanted to land the Argo II before their troops arrived, but the ground was still several hundred feet below. She scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Percy.**

"I hope he hasn't changed," Thalia muttered and Grover nodded.

"Hopefully he'll still be the same Seaweed Brain."

The campers who knew Percy and Annabeth well, smiled.

**Then something behind her went BOOM!**

A lot of campers jumped when Thalia yelled **BOOM** and she grinned.

"What happened?" Chris asked and Thalia read on.

**The explosion almost knocked her overboard. She whirled and found herself eye to eye with an angry statue. "Unacceptable!" he shrieked. Apparently he had exploded with existence, right there on the deck. Sulfurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga. "I will ****_not_**** have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice.**

Travis and Connor groaned, "I hate teachers, except for Chiron of course."

Chiron smiled at that comment.

**"I ****_certainly _****will not have Greeks!"**

Immediately campers started to protest loudly.

Athena looked angry but she quickly covered it and waved her hand for silence.

It took a few moments, but eventually everyone calmed down and became quiet again.

**Jason shot Annabeth a look that said ****_I've got this. _**

**_"_****Terminus," he said. "It's me. Jason Grace." **

"This is _so_ going to backfire on him."

**"Oh I remember ****_you_****, Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!" "But they're not enemies-"**

**"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could-"**

"And get out leader back." Travis added.

**"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on ****_me_****, young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands." **

"How would he slap it? He doesn't have arms."

**Piper glanced at her bronze dagger, which she'd apparently forgotten she was holding. "Um...Okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have arms." **

"Oh. Touchy subject."

**"Impertinence!" **

"Like Percy!" Everyone yelled together, then looked at each other weirdly and then they broke into fits of laughter.

"Your son really is an upstart." Zeus stated, looking at his brother. Several gods nodded, like Ares, Hades, Mr. D, Hephaestus and Hera.

**There was a sharp pop and a flash of yellow. Piper yelped and dropped her dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.**

**"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"**

"Leo's not going to like that."

**"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, waggling his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I ****_know_**** you didn't just do that." The idea that Leo might attack the statue with his gaming device was enough to snap Annabeth out of her shock.**

Several people laughed at the mental image.

**"Let's all calm down." She raised her hands to show she had no weapons. "I take it you Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of-"**

**"Oh, I know who ****_you_**** are!" **

"Of course you do. Everyone knows who Percy and Annabeth are, they're legends."

"We know. That's why they're picture is on the Hall of Fame."

**"A child of ****_Athena_****, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for ****_that_**** goddess." **

Some gods glanced at Athena, who glared at the book.

_Idiotic Romans, _Athena thought.

**Annabeth clenched her jaw. This statue wasn't making it easy to be diplomatic. **

**"What exactly do you mean, ****_that _****goddess? And what's so scandalous about–" "Right!" Jason interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can–"**

**"Impossible!" The god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"**

"So, which one is it? Leave or surrender?" Katie asked and Thalia smirked.

**"Which is it?" Leo asked. "Leave or surrender?" **

Katie groaned while the gods snickered. "I think like an idiot."

**"Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?"**

**"Wow." Leo studied Terminus with professional interest. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look."**

Again, people laughed at the mental image.

**He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool belt and trapped the statue's pedestal. "Stop that!" Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver.**

**"Weapons are ****_not _****allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."**

**"The what?" Piper asked.**

"The city limits." Hermes answered and Athena clapped slowly.

"Wow. Good job Hermes."

**"City limits," Jason translated.**

"Great, I think like a Air He-I mean YAY! I think like my brother." He grinned at his father, who turned his glare away after a few moments.

**"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You ****_cannot _****land!"**

**Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. Annabeth scanned the faces and...oh, gods. **

All around the room, campers grinned and Grover and Thalia sang, "She sees Percy!"

**She saw him.**

"I wonder if he looked different?" Lou, daughter of Hecate asked. She hadn't been close to Percy as everyone else, but he was the one to show her around Camp and he was always kind and caring.

"Probably got more buffed." Chris mumbled to the campers.

**He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies––a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet. Percy looked so at ease, so happy. He wore a purple cape, just like Jason's––the mark of a praetor.**

Campers gasped and Zeus's form flickered and he said, "Impossible. He's only been there for a few days."

But Thalia smirked proudly, "Go Kelp Head! Show them who'll whip their butts!"

**Annabeth's heart did a gymnastics routine.**

Everyone: Hunters, Campers, Gods and Juniper, who joined a few moments earlier, all grinned.

**"Leo, stop the ship," she ordered.**

**"What?"**

"She just wants to see her boyfriend who she hasn't seen in 7 months!" Lacy yelled at the book before huffing and sitting down, while some campers scooted away from her.

**"You heard me. Keep us right where we are." Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.**

**"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering over new Rome, is there?"**

"Genius." Thalia and Athena said at the same time, then they smiled at each other.

**The statue frowned. "Well, no..."**

**"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically." The statue seemed to ponder this. Annabeth wondered if he was scratching his chin with his imaginary hands.**

**"I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still..."**

**"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth promised. "I assume the Romans––even those reinforcements marching toward us––will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"**

"Of course." Athena stated.

**"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"**

Apollo and Hermes busted out laughing. "You think like Terminus!"

The war goddess rolled her eyes and nodded to Thalia to continue.

**"Uh, Annabeth..." Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"**

**She closed her fists to keep them from shaking. That cold feeling was still there. It floated just behind her, and now that Terminus was no longer shouting and causing explosions, she thought she could hear the presence laughing, as if it was delighted by the bad choices she was making.**

**But Percy was down there...he was****_ so_**** close.**

"And I'm so close to getting my money." Clarisse smirked.

** She ****_had _****to reach him.**

**"It'll be fine," she said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at the marble statue. "Do we have an agreement?:**

**Terminus sniffed. " I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. Please try not to destroy my town."**

Thalia closed the book and said, "Done."

"Alright. Everyone back to bed-" Chiron ordered and everyone groaned.

"But Chiron!"

The centaur shook his head, "No. We will start the second chapter tomorrow. Hopefully, Percy will be awake by then. Come on, off you go."

Grudgingly, campers followed their counselors out of the Big House and then Thalia and Grover turned to Chiron and asked, "What about Percy?"

Chiron glanced at his limp body before answering, "The gods and I will watch him. Don't worry, everything will be okay."

Thalia and Grover then walked over to Percy and Grover was blinking a lot, holding back tears. "It's okay Percy. You won't wake up alone this time. We'll be here." He placed a hand on his shoulder lightly, before slipping out of the door with Juniper.

Thalia then knelt down next to Percy and whispered, "Please, please for the love of the gods. Don't leave us again. You have no idea how much it hurt us. Love you, Kelp Head." She then leaned forward, brushing his messy black hair out of his forehead and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. She then stood up and when she stood halfway in the door, she glanced back at her friend. A small tear trickled down her cheek before she quickly whipped it and whisked out of the room.

Chiron gazed at the gods and asked, "What vision did you see Apollo."

The sun god swallowed hard before he answered, his voice hallow, "Tarturas. He was in Tarturas."

Silence greeted his words and then Poseidon whispered, "Tarturas...my son...oh Percy..." Chiron closed his eyes and said, "A child should never have to go through this pain." His eyes flickered open and the gentle centaur's eyes then grew angry and he snapped at the gods, "You do realize this is all your fault. For using the him as a pawn for everything, if he dies, it'll be on your head."

Poseidon then laid his hand on the trainer's shoulder and said, "Chiron, it had to be done-"

"You used your own son's life like he's a chess piece. He has a life, one he loves and he has people he cares for and you allow them to send him across the country, wipe his memory and leave no trace. Do you have any idea how much it hurt everyone at camp, how much it her daughter?" He pointed to Athena, who looked pained and then he let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, my Lords. But you've crossed the line with this boy's life. Don't you see he deserves to be happy. Look at his face and tell me that he hasn't had enough pain in his life. A 16 year old boy should look like Perseus does now. Good night."

With that, he turned around and wheeled himself out of the room without another word.

The gods and goddess watched as Artemis placed her hand on Percy's chest and muttered a hymn, which Apollo joined in repeating her words. A golden light flashed for a split second, before it disappeared.

Then, Percy's eyelashes fluttered and he let out a groan. Poseidon gasped and raced to his son's side as he slowly opened his eyelids, revealing gorgeous sea-green eyes that blinked several times.

Suddenly, Percy sat up quickly but Apollo placed his hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down against the couch and said, "Wow, Perce. You're pretty wounded. You should rest."

The son of Poseidon winced and then muttered, "Where..." He broke into coughs and Artemis answered him, surprisingly gentle, " You're home, Percy."

**Like it? Oh, I want to share two songs that remind me of Percy and Annabeth! ****Come Home by OneRepublic and Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Listen to them, their really good songs, especially the first one. :) **

******The picture that Travis is holding captive will be revealing in the next chapter, and it is adorable! I promise you, you'll love it. **

******I'll update in a week, maybe less, it depends on my schedule. Until then, have fun and don't get eaten! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, I'm sorry guys but this chapter focuses more on Percy and when everyone else sees Percy awake. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. **

After a few minutes of Percy staring at the air in front of him, he finally muttered weakly, "Where is...where is she?" Apollo waggled his eyebrows, "Oh, your naughty. Wanting another girl that not Ann-" "He doesn't mean it like that, you pig!" Athena snapped at the sun god, who winced under her glare.

"Annabeth...whe-where is she..." Percy muttered and then coughed.

Artemis put her hand on Percy's shoulder and asked, "You mean Annabeth?"

Percy's head shot up and fury flashed in his sea-green eyes, burning so hard through Apollo, that he took a step back away from the couch.

"Where is _my girlfriend_." He hissed in a dangerously low voice. Around the room, glasses of water began vibrating and a small _crack _split through the air as one glass cracked from the pressure of the water.

Poseidon noticed Percy's eyes and said in an even voice, "We are the Olympians. Percy, I am your father."

Instead of being shocked, Percy rolled his eyes and said, "_Really?_ I never knew, wow, you just blew my mind. OF COURSE I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" He snarled angrily at them before continuing, "Why the _hell_ am I here!"

"Perseus!" Poseidon and Hera scolded but Percy just shot them a heated glare. Hera scowled, "Too bad the Romans didn't take away your _temper._"

"You took away my memory, sent me across the country, away from everyone I care about and you're worried about my temper? I am _beyond _furious!" Percy shouted and Hestia whispered, "Perseus. You need to calm down." Percy stared at her for a moment before letting out a long sigh though his nose and leaning back against the couch.

"Okay, I'll calm down. But you'd better tell me where my girlfriend is right now, or I'll start tearing off your arms." His threat was aimed at Hera, who scowled at him.

"You _choleric_ demigod." She growled. "As for your girlfriend, I could care less if she's alive or not. "

Percy glowered at her and opened his mouth to snap at her but then Athena beat him to it.

"Don't speak about my daughter like that, my _Queen._" She snapped and the Queen's eyes flashed with anger.

"Hera." Zeus interrupted before any fight could break out. "Relax, my dear."

Hera glared at her husband before snapping her fingers and she disappeared in a gold flash.

Percy glared at the spot she disappeared from before turning to Poseidon. "Why am I here...wait... Am I in the _Big House_? And is _that_ the Ping Pong Table?"

The sea god nodded, "Yes, son. We appeared here a few hours ago. You appeared at the same time."

Percy nodded, seeming to have calmed down and then he cursed in Ancient Greek.

"Why isn't she here? Is there any way you could switch us? Please, I don't want her getting hurt and-"

A note floated down into his lap and he looked at it, his eyebrows furrowing with confusion.

"I can't read this. Here Lady Artemis. " He gave the note to Artemis, who read it out loud, "**Percy Jackson, Annabeth is safe. She won't be harmed. Don't worry, Hero of Olympus.**"

Percy huffed with annoyance and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Okay." He leaned back against the couch, wincing slightly from his wounds.

"Hey Perce, why don't you sleep for a while. Your exhausted." Apollo stated and Percy let out a soft chuckle, "Yeah, I'll do that." He laid back down and was quiet for a moment.

"Hey, Dad."

Poseidon looked at him and answered, "Yes Percy?"

"Do you think she's okay? Annabeth, I mean."

Poseidon couldn't help but smile at the amount affection in his son's voice. "Yes, I'm sure the daughter of Athena is fine."

Percy let out a soft sigh and then laid his head down and in a few moments, he was asleep.

Aphrodite then cooed and giggled, "He looks so cute asleep Poseidon! He looks so innocent."

Athena restrained herself from rolling her eyes and calling the son of Poseidon a sea spawn, because Poseidon looks worried for him. Like, the floor around his feet was liquefying worried. "Come. Let's all give him some space." Hestia said before snapping her fingers and a soft Pegasus feathered blanket laid across Percy along with a plush fluffy pillow from the Athena cabin.

More specifically, Annabeth's bed.

Percy shifted his face and a small smile flickered across his face as if he recognized the lemon shampoo that Annabeth used.

One by one, the gods filed out of the room and a sea breeze blew through the open window. It flowed across the room, extinguishing the candles and the smoke danced softly into the air, like the infinite dance of a koi fish.

Hours past and soon the breakfast conch shell sounded through the air, waking up grumbling campers. The Cabin Counselors could be heard from the Big House, yelling at their siblings to hurry up and get out to breakfast.

After breakfast, campers and hunters hustled towards the Big House. Travis and Connor were arguing with each other about the bet Travis made with Clarisse, Chris and Clarisse were walking hand in hand, discussing the Capture-The-Flag plan for kicking the Hunter's πισινό, Malcolm was speaking to one of his siblings about what might have happened to the Seven and Thalia was laughing with her Hunters. Chiron clopped into the room and gasped.

Percy was sitting on the floor, eating strange looking blue waffles and he had a can of Coke opened, sitting in front of him, along with another heaping plate of blue waffles, covered with blueberries, strawberries** (A/N: And no, the strawberries sadly are not blue. Though, that would be cool.)**, pineapples, cherries, blue whipped cream and a double cheeseburger sitting on another plate.

Percy looked up and set down the plate of food and said, "Hey."

Sparks shot from Thalia's hands as she lunged at Percy, swing her fists wildly at him. Percy leaped back and ducked her punches.

"Thals, I-" _Duck._ "Hey-" _Roll. _"Just listen t-" _Whap! _"Ow! Thalia Grace!"

Thalia had punched him square in the jaw and he glared at her.

"After months of been away! _Months! And you just say hey! _What in Hades is _wrong_ with you! Do you have any idea how much you hurt everyone here! And you get yourself kidnapped by a goddess! And that goddess is _Hera!_ I thought that if you kidnapped it would be by Aphrodite, but _Hera!_ The Queen of the gods, that little-"

"It wasn't my fault, Thalia!" Percy snapped at her.

"But it is _your fault_ for hurting Annabeth!"

Percy immediately shut his mouth and looked away from his cousin. Everyone could tell, it struck a nerve.

Thalia's hands stopped sparkling and then she walked forward and wrapped her arms around Percy.

The son of Poseidon's shoulders tensed for a second before he relaxed and hugged her back. "I'm sorry and I missed you, Perce."

Percy let out a chuckle and whispered, "I missed you too."

He released her and she whipped her eyes and mumbled, "Your stupid sea scent is burning my eyes."

Percy rolled his eyes and then Grover raced from the crowd and tackled Percy to the ground, bleating with a mixture of joy and anger. "Don't ever leave us again, Perce! We were so scared." Percy let out a loud laugh, which melted everyone's heart and made them smile at his contagious laugh.

"Come on, G-Man. The _Big Bad_ Lord of the Wild." Grover got up, blushing as he helped Percy back to his feet, " You okay?" He asked as he noticed Percy wincing.

"Yeah, just fine." Percy answered but rotated his shoulder blade a few times.

Then, without warning, Campers rushed towards Percy, whooping and cheering his name as they patted his back, shook his hand, hugged him and most of the girls kissed his cheek and then, the girls got a glare from Thalia and Grover.

Percy was grinning his lopsided grin, his sea-green eyes shining with happiness as he greeted the campers.

Chiron then trotted over and smiled, "Percy. It's good to see you again."

Percy smiled back and they hugged each other. When Chiron pulled away, his ruffled Percy's hair and smiled, "My boy, you've grown taller."

"Thanks Chiron. So, why is everyone gather at this ungodly hour in the Big House? It's like 5 in the morning."

Thalia snorted and said, "It's 8 in the morning, Kelp Head."

Said _Kelp Headed Spawn _rolled his eyes and Grover answered, "We're reading a book. It's called the Mark of Athena."

At those words, Percy tensed and clenched his fist, looking pissed.

"Hey, sir, your gonna burn a hole in the book if you keep glaring at it." Travis quipped.

"Don't call me that!" He snapped and Travis hugged Percy's leg while Connor hugged his arm, rubbing his cheek against Percy bicep.

Campers were trying not to laugh as angry waves rolled off of Percy and he hissed, "If you don't get off me, I will tear off your arms. "

Travis grinned, "YES! Percy and his short temper is back at Camp Half-Blood everybody!"

Several campers chuckled and Percy just shoved the Stoll's away from him, his lips twitching, showing he was fighting a smile.

Then, Clarisse walked up and nodded, "Prissy."

"Clarisse."

They regarded each other before Percy stuck out his hand and said, "Truce? You until this war is over and I kick your butt in Capture-The-Flag?"

She smiled slightly and shook his hand, "Yeah. _Right. _You beating us?"

Percy picking up his plates of food and sat down on the couch. Thalia and Grover sat down on either side of him, Thalia taking sips of his Coke and Grover chewing on an apple.

A flash appeared and the gods settled down in their thrones while everyone else settled down around the room.

"Okay. Perseus, would you like to read? Can you read?" Thalia said in a mocking voice.

Percy rolled his eyes, shaking his head fondly and plucked the book from her hands, opening it to the right page and began.

** Annabeth II**

**Like it? Review please and I'll update as soon as I can. Maybe by this Friday? :)**

**Keep reading Fanfiction and I hope your day is full of surprises and...other stuff...like...keeping that piece of information inside you head and repeat it over and over again until The House of Hades comes out! ****_"Leo, they're not dead. if they were, I could feel it." (Nico, Mark of Athena) The one line that gives us hope. And because if Rick doesn't give Percy and Annabeth they're happy ending, I personally will gather up my friends who like PJO, go to Texas and storm his house, demanding he rewrite the book! Oh my gods! If they got married at the end of the series...I would die happy.  
Guess what? When I get my license, I'm gonna make a license plate that says, "Percbeth" :D Well, I'm rambling so bye!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. Everything in bold, goes to him. **

** Annabeth II**

Percy grinned. "I finally get to know what she thinks of me."

Thalia swallowed a drink of Coke and plopped it in his hand before taking the double cheeseburger plate off of his lap.

Percy turned his gaze and glared at her, "Touch that burger and I'll kill you."

Thalia smirked at him.

Grover looked disgusted and took the burger from both of them and dumped it in the trashcan.

"Aww..." Percy and Thalia protested at the same time and then they glared at each other.

Several campers rolled their eyes at the two cousins.

**A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for Annabeth as she walked through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.**

"Wait? You fought giants?" Grover asked Percy, who shrugged and said, "Yeah. The one against Poseidon or Neptune, whatever."

"You killed him?"

"Yep." Percy answered, taking a few bites of food and gazed at the shocked campers faces. "Why do you all look surprised?"

"You killed a giant."

Percy rolled his eyes and sighed, "Yes. I. Killed. A. Giant." He ignored Grover squeak and continued reading.

**Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. Annabeth saw couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes.**

All the campers jaws dropped and Katie whispered, "They have families there? Are they demigods?"

Percy answered her, "Well, some are descendants of demigods."

Chris's eyes widened and he said, "Child of demigods? Is that even possible?"

"Hopefully." Percy mumbled under his breath and then he said louder, "Yes. If they live that long."

Next to Percy, Thalia and Grover shared smirks, after hearing Percy's not so quiet mumble.

**Were all of them demigods?**

Travis laughed, "You think like Annabeth!"

Percy shook his head slightly and said, "That's a good thing."

Katie nodded and smirked at the son of Hermes, "It's better than thinking like _you_._"_

Everyone chuckled as Travis turned red and he glared at the daughter of Demeter.

**Annabeth suspected so, though she'd never seen a place like this.**

"No one has. Except for Percy." Connor pointed out and Poseidon growled, "Unwillingly though."

"It really is beautiful." Percy said and Thalia felt anger and bitterness well up in her chest.

_Did Percy want to stay there? Would he abandon his home?_

She doubted he would, but there was a reason he liked Camp Jupiter so much.

** At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens.**

Everyone, even the gods and hunters, broke into cheers.

"Best Camp Ever!" Travis and Chris yelled and Percy smiled softly at the campers cheering around him.

** If they survived long enough-**

"Aww, way to ruin the mood Annabeth!" Connor complained and Percy glared at him.

"Seriously? She's not even here and you look ready to rip off Connor's head." Grover chuckled and Percy rolled his eyes, "Don't even say it."

"What? Overprotective?" Thalia smirked at her cousin, who snorted, "I'm not overprotective."

"Yes you are." Everyone sang, even Poseidon, Athena and Chiron.

Percy rolled his eyes again and let out a annoyed sigh through his nose.

**- to graduate from high school,-**

Everyone groaned and Percy sighed, "Oh gods. I might have to retake sophomore year." He sunk into his seat and Chris laughed, "That sucks, Perce."

**-they either stayed on as counselors or left to start lives as best they could in the mortal world. **

"Not as easy as it sounds." Thalia whispered and Percy squeezed her hand gently.

She shot him a grateful look.

**Here, it was an entire multigrain community. **

Everyone raised their eyebrows and Thalia and Grover busted out laughing.

"Percy, that says multigenerational, Percy. Not multigrain." Katie smiled and his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Really? Oh, sorry...dysl-you know what? Never mind, everyone here has it." Percy said, looking slightly embarrassed.

**At the far end of the crowd, Annabeth spotted Tyson the Cyclops-**

"Tyson!" Campers cheered and Percy and Poseidon both smiled.

**- and Percy's hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary-**

Everyone stared at Percy and he shrugged, "Yes. I have a pet hellhound, long story."

"But aren't hellhounds dangerous?" A younger Nike camper asked.

Percy smiled at her and answered, "Yes. But she's a sweetheart."

"Only _you_, would call a hellhound, even though its Mrs. O'Leary, _a sweetheart." _Clarisse rolled her eyes at him.

**–who had been the first scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter.**

The gods all looked guilty as some demigods turned and glared at them.

"Come on guys. I'm here aren't I?" Percy said, trying to comfort them.

It worked a little, but then Katie said softly, " Everyone thought you were dead, Percy. When you came here, you looked like you were dead."

Percy's face darkened and he growled, "Forget about it. It'll probably explain it in the book."

**They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib.**

"Awww." Aphrodite cooed and a few of the girls from camp smiled.

Ares rolled his eyes and muttered, "That monster isn't cute."

"I think he'll look cute when he sees me rip your head off."

Percy and Ares glared at each other before Thalia smacked the back of Percy's head and scolded him.

"Are you really trying to piss off a god _now?" _Percy grimaced and rubbed the back of his head.

"Can you stop hitting me?" He asked and she shook her head, "Nope. Since Annabeth isn't here to do this, I'm filling in for her."

**Some part of Annabeth's mind registered how beautiful the city was––the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture...gods, the architecture––gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas.**

**In front of her, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian.**

"Who's that?" Poseidon asked his son, who answered, "Reyna, daughter of Bellona, the Roman War Goddess."

**_Reyna._**

**Jason had described her well. Even without that, Annabeth would have singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.**

"A lot like you two." Athena said and Thalia raised her eyebrows. "Who?"

"Percy and Annabeth. They have the same posture. And most sane demigods would be frightened of the Savior of Olympus."

Percy stared at her blankly and asked, "Lady Athena, did you just compliment me?"

The goddess rolled her eyes, "No, I didn't, son of Poseidon."

**Annabeth recognized something else in her face, too––in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge.**

"Like Annabeth." Clarisse nodded.

** Reyna was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public.**

"Okay, exactly like Annabeth." Thalia said and Percy nodded.

**Annabeth knew that expression. She saw it every time she looked in a mirror.**

"Exactly like-"

"WE KNOW!" The campers yelled and Travis scowled and slunk back down.

**The two girls considered each other. Annabeth's friends fanned out on either side.**

"This might end badly." Zeus said and glanced at Chiron. "Romans and Greeks never got along."

"I became praetor, didn't I?" Percy said, looking a Zeus with a hard look.

"Yes, you did, upstart." Zeus hissed, giving him an annoyed glare.

Percy's didn't withdraw his gaze and he said in an even voice, "Then, we can get along. Besides, if they touch this camp, I'll send them into the Atlantic."

Zeus kept his grey eyes on him and then turned his head away.

Percy's jaw loosened and he continued reading.

**The Romans murmured Jason's name, staring at him in awe.**

Travis sang, "Ego."

"Yeah, like Prissy." Clarisse smirked while Percy scowled.

"I do not have an ego."

"You probably don't even know what it means." Malcolm teased and Percy snapped, "Don't insult my intelligence!"

Silence greeted his words before Athena remarked, "Like you have any."

That sent everyone into hysterics and even Percy chuckled at her remark.

"Yeah! Sis, that's what I'm talking about!" Apollo held up his hand and Athena raised one eyebrow.

"Come on. You gonna leave me hanging?"

Athena turned her head away and nodded at Percy to continue.

"Athena." Apollo whined and the gods rolled their eyes.

**Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Annabeth's vision tunneled.**

Aphrodite squealed and giggled, "Finally! The Percabeth reunion!"

Percy groaned and Thalia and all the other campers smirked smugly at Percy.

"I bet I know who it is."

"Yeah, it rhymes with Ercy and starts with Purr."

That made Percy bust out laughing as Thalia and Clarisse looked at Grover, "Keep the rhyming and anything to do with making fun of Percy to us."

Grover sunk into his seat as campers chuckled.

**Percy smiled at her-**

At that moment, all the campers, even the guys, squealed and cheered.

Percy snorted, "Really? Is this really that important to you?"

"YES!" Everyone screamed and Thalia smacked Percy with a pillow and snapped, "Read, Kelp Head!"

Percy smiled.

**-that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had annoyed her for years-**

Percy's eyebrows furrowed and he asked, "My smile is sarcastic?"

Thalia chuckled, "Percy, if there was a King of Sarcasm, you would be him." She patted his back.

"Your smile worries me but it's cute at the same time." Katie said and several campers nodded.

Percy then smiled that same smile and said, "Thanks guys. And I annoy her?"

Poseidon gazed at him son worriedly, "Is that bad?"

"Are you kidding me? I try to annoy her, it's so much fun."

A younger Ares camper looked confused and she asked, "But wouldn't she hurt you?"

"Of course she will. She'll kill me." Percy said, a loving smile across his lips.

Demeter shook her head, "Continue reading before Aphrodite bites off her fingers."

Aphrodite was chewing on her fingernails, jumping slightly in her seat.

**-but eventually had become endearing.**

"Aww...Wise Girl." Percy gazed at the book happily and Thalia snickered, "Don't start making out with the book now, Kelpy."

Percy shoved her lightly and blushed, "Shut up."

**His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as she remembered.**

Again, campers cooed and Aphrodite smiled at Percy.

"You're eyes are gorgeous." Drew said and Percy stared at her and said uncertainly, "Thanks."

Thalia ignored Drew's attempt to flirt with Percy since he was to oblivious to realize what was happening and she said, "Your eyes are a strange color. Pretty, but strange. "

"You're like a carbon copy of Lord Poseidon." Will said and Percy and his father smiled at each other.

**His dark hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach.**

"Seriously, Perce. Your hair is always messy." Chris said.

Percy shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair once and said, "I could care less, honestly. My hair's always been messy and Annabeth likes it like that, so yeah."

Travis exchanged a glance with Connor and said, "Because she likes running her fingers through it when you're making ou-"

In one fluid motion, a knife stuck itself inches from Travis's nose and he gazed at the polished silver blade, his eyes wide.

"Finish that sentence Stoll, and I won't miss next time." Percy said before pulling the dagger from the wall and handing it back to Thalia, who smirked at them.

**He looked even better than he had six months ago––tanner and taller, leaner and more muscular.**

Several girls squealed, counting Aphrodite and Percy looked embarrassed, his face red.

"Told you he got more muscular." Chris said and Will shrugged.

"Of course he did, he was on the run for months fighting monsters."

**Annabeth was too stunned to move.**

"Oh my gods!" Aphrodite squealed and Percy shook his head slightly.

"Because she's going to make out with you." Travis smirked.

Percy looked at him weirdly and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Thalia and Grover informed him on the bet and Percy chuckled and shook his head.

"Who's going to win?" Connor asked but Percy answered, "I can't tell you. You'll find out soon enough."

Everyone groaned.

**She felt that if she got any closer to him, all the molecules in her body might combust.**

"True love right there." Lacy commented and smiled at Percy, showing her braces.

Percy looked touched and he said, "Yeah...it really is."

Everyone quickly covered their ears as Aphrodite screamed and gushed, "Aww, you love her don't you!"

Percy looked at the love goddess and answered, "Yes. I do."

_Even though falling into Tarturas with someone isn't exactly a confession of love, but he was pretty sure Annabeth knew. And hopefully, she loved him back. _

Thalia patted Percy's back carefully, avoiding the bandages and said, "Good. Now you can both ride off to a island in the sun."

Travis and Connor looked at each other and yelled:

_When you're on a golden sea  
You don't need no memory  
Just a place to call your own  
As we drift into the zone_

_On an island in the sun  
We'll be playing and having fun  
And it makes me feel so fine  
I can't control my brain_

_We'll run away together  
We'll spend some time forev-_

"Get it? Because Percy doesn't have a brain." Clarisse snickered and Percy let out a deep sigh.

"And he didn't have a memory when he was shipped across the country?"

"And they want to run away together?"

"And they want to spend some time to-"

"Okay! We get it! Can I continue now?" Percy glared at the campers, who broke into snickers and it took them a few minutes to calm down.

"Continue Percy." Hestia said and Percy nodded.

**She'd secretly had a crush on him since they were...**

Percy fell silent as he stared at the book, his eyes wide.

"What?" Thalia asked as the book slipped from Percy's hands and fell to the floor.

She picked it up and read it again.

**She's secretly had a crush on him since they were twelve years old. **

Everyone looked at Percy, who blushed and that was when Thalia and Grover leaped to their feet and yelled, "I knew it!"

Percy just shook his head and said, "I had no idea that she liked me since I was twelve."

Chiron shook his head and laughed.

Everyone just shook their heads, shocked to hear that Annabeth had hid her feelings for a couple of years.

**Last summer, she'd fallen for him hard.**

That made everyone look sad and guilty.

Percy just closed his eyes for a moment and then Thalia whispered, "I'm sorry. That you two had to go through all that, so soon after-"

"No. It's okay. It wasn't you fault." Percy answered her and opened his eyes, staring out at all the campers.

"It wasn't any of your faults." He said.

He looked exhausted, dropping his leader status and posture and he rested his elbows against his knees, rubbing his face with his hands.

He let out a sigh and began reading again.

**They'd been a happy couple for four months––and then he'd disappeared.**

Percy glared at everyone as they looked guilty again.

"If anyone says that it was their fault, I will personally feed you to a shark." He threatened.

Ares leaned towards Poseidon and asked, "Could he do that?"

Percy's father nodded and smirked, "And more."

**During their separation, something had happened to Annabeth's feelings. **

"She was really worried about you, Percy." Chris said and Percy nodded, "I know."

**They'd grown painfully intense––like she'd been forced to withdraw from a life-saving medication.**

"Aww, Percy's her drug." Chris said, trying to lighten the mood.

It worked and everyone chuckled while Percy rolled his eyes but the corners of his lips twitched.

Athena watched Percy carefully and then she turned her gaze away.

**Now she wasn't sure which was more excruciating––living with that horrible absence, or being with him again.**

Thalia argued, "Having to live with the absence."

"Seeing me again." Percy said and when Thalia glared at him, he raised his hands up, "Hey. Don't look at me like that. I felt the same thing, being able to see her but not being able to be near her, especially since I disappeared without a trace for 7 months, making her worried and scared out of her mind."

**The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason. "Jason Grace, my former colleague..." She spoke the word ****_colleague _****like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends–"**

**Annabeth didn't mean to, but she surged forward.**

Everyone glance excitedly at each other, Percy shook his head slightly and Aphrodite giggled.

"Aww, she can't bear to be away from you any longer." Lou smiled at Percy.

**Percy rushed toward her at the same time.**

"Of course you do."

Percy smiled at the camper and shrugged, "Hey, since when do I follow rules?"

**The crowd tensed. Some reached for their swords that weren't there.**

"You two love each other so much." Grover teased his best friend, who was blushing like crazy.

"Yeah, you can't wait a second before you run to each other in front of a lot of deadly crazy Romans."

"They love each other." Aphrodite whispered giddily and Athena rolled her eyes.

**Percy threw his arms around her.**

Campers smiled widely and Aphrodite giggled.

**They kissed,-**

Again, Aphrodite squealed.

**-and for a moment nothing-**

_Squeal. _

**-else-**

_Squeal. _

**-mattered.**

"If you don't stop squealing, I'm going to throw this book in the fire. Just, please tone it down." Percy asked and Aphrodite sighed, before nodding.

**An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn't have cared.**

Percy smiled softly, "I felt the same way, Wise Girl."

**Percy smelled of ocean air.**

"You really do. it's like a natural cologne." Travis said and Percy snorted with amusement.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Why do you smell like that?"

"Ugh...I'm the son of Poseidon. It's kind of natural that I smell like the ocean." Percy stated.

**His lips were salty.**

Several campers snickered and Percy licked his lips and then rolled his eyes.

"Shut up."

"That's pretty interesting. Why do you have salty lips?" Drew asked.

Percy shrugged, "I don't know. Salt water?"

**_Seaweed Brain, _****she thought giddily.**

"Wow. I never thought this day would come. Annabeth Chase has become like an Aphrodite girl!"

The older campers rolled their eyes and Percy laughed, "Yeah. That'll happen. She's just happy to see me."

He had a smirk on his face and his sea-green eyes were sparkling with amusement because he knew what came next.

"Ha! Pay up!" Travis yelled, holding out his hand at Clarisse.

She went for her pocket, grumbling but then Percy waved her off and said, "As much as I'd hate to help her, wait and learn Travis."

**Percy pulled away and studied her face. "Gods, I never thought–"**

**Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder.**

All around, campers, hunters and the gods jaws dropped.

"Oh-"

"My-"

"Gods."

"SHE DID WHAT?" They yelled as Percy busted out laughing.

Athena smiled and praised, "Good job Annabeth."

Percy said through his laughter, "I deserved it. And Travis, pay up."

Travis grumbled and shoved the bag of money to the daughter of Ares, who smirked.

**He slammed into stone pavement.**

Some winced and looked at Percy sympathetically.

"It didn't hurt that bad. I'm used to it."

"Your used to it?" Katie asked and Percy smiled at her.

"If you were a son of Poseidon dating a daughter of Athena, and you couldn't shut up, you would get hurt a lot."

**Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!" Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest.**

"I bet she liked that." Travis smirked and Percy smacked his head with a pillow.

**She pushed her forearm against his throat. She didn't care what the Romans thought. A white-hot lump of anger expanded in her chest––a tumor of worry and bitterness that she'd been carrying around since last autumn.**

Percy winced and said, "Gods, Annabeth. I'm so sorry."

No one commented about how he was talking to a book, noticing how guilty he looked.

**"If you ever leave me again," she said, her eyes stinging, "I swear to all the gods–"**

Thalia said, "I'll kill you. I'm pretty sure that's what she was going to say."

Percy smiled and shook his head, "Yeah, I know. It's _just so_ Annabeth to so something like that to me."

**Percy had the nerve to laugh.**

"What's wrong with you? You laugh when Annabeth threatens you?" Clarisse said to Percy.

Percy shrugged, "I had to. It was just funny."

"Something's wrong with your son." Apollo told Poseidon, who dosed him with cold salt water.

**Suddenly the lump of heated emotions melted inside Annabeth.**

Jaws dropped and several looked at Percy, who was smirking as he leaned back against the couch.

"You are a god."

Percy snorted, "No, I'm not. I just know her better then most people."

**"Consider me warned," Percy said. "I missed you, too."**

"Wow."

"Those words are perfect." Grover smiled and Percy smiled back at him.

Juniper nodded, "They were. Especially after 7 months."

"Thanks. I missed her, a lot more than she'll ever know." Percy said.

**Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet.**

**She wanted to kiss him again ****_so _****badly, but she managed to restrain herself.**

Percy groaned. "I still want to kiss her."

Chiron chuckled at him and then said, "I'm sure you had enough time to kiss her, especially all those times you two snuck out to the beach in the middle of the night."

Percy turned red and looked down at his hands, which he was wringing together.

"OHHH! CHIRON! YOU ARE AMAZING!" Every single campers screamed and Athena then glared at Percy. "If you tried anything-"

"Gods no. First of all, she would kill me and secondly, these are her thoughts, not mine." Percy said.

Then Clarisse smirked, "Oh, Prissy. Remember that time you two made out at the bottom of the lake?"

Everyone snickered and Percy turned even redder, if that was possible and he complained, "Shut up."

**Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah...It's good to be back."**

"Wow. That's awkward." Grover said and Thalia chuckled.

"No kidding."

**He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practicing, then to Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign.**

The Hephaestus cabin rolled their eyes and Nyssa shook her head, "He would."

**"And this is Annabeth," Jason said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."**

Poseidon chuckled, "No, she only attacks her boyfriend like that."

**Reyna's eyes sparkled. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?"**

"Of course she's not!" Athena snarled and campers sunk into their seats, frightened of the war goddess.

Percy snorted, "I would never date an Amazon. A few of them asked me out."

Percy got confused looks.

"_Amazons?_ As in the female warriors who treat men like prisoners?" Katie asked and Percy nodded.

"You have really weird adventures Percy."

"Yeah, I know."

**Annabeth didn't know if that was a compliment, but she held out her hand. "I only attack my boyfriend like that," she promised. "Pleased to meet you."**

Everyone broke into fits of laughter and Thalia choked, "That's such an Annabeth thing to say."

"You think like your son's girlfriend." Hades smirked at his brother, who rolled his eyes.

"Better than thinking like you."

**Reyna clasped her hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"**

**A few of the Roman campers hustled forward––apparently the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side, the same ones Annabeth had seen him chumming around with earlier. The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. He was cute in a sort of oversized-cuddly-panda-bear way. The girl was younger, maybe thirteen, with amber eyes and chocolate skin and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.**

"Who are they?" Chris asked and Percy answered him.

"Frank, son of Mars and Hazel, daughter of Pluto."

Clarisse's eyes narrowed, "I have a half-brother who looks like a cuddly panda?"

"Nico has a sister?"

"Yes and yes. Can I read?" Percy said and Thalia nodded.

**Annabeth could tell from their body language that they felt close to Percy. They stood next to him protectively, like they'd already shared many adventures. She fought down a twinge of jealousy.**

"Annabeth Chase? Jealous?" Chris said and stared at Percy, who looked like he was between laughing or looking disgusted.

"She's like a sister to me. And she's only 13." He said.

**Was it possible Percy and this girl...**

"I just kissed her, why would she think that?"

Travis sighed, "Couples are weird." His brother nodded in agreement.

**-no. The chemistry between the three of them wasn't like that. Annabeth had spent her whole life learning to read people. It was a survival skill. If she had to guess, she'd say the big Asian guy was the girl's boyfriend, though she suspected they hadn't been together long.**

"That's pretty impressive." Ares agreed grudgingly and Percy nodded.

**There was one thing she didn't understand: what was the girl staring at?**

"My gods! The day has come! Annabeth Chase doesn't know something!" Travis and Connor cried out loud.

Everyone rolled their eyes and Percy said, "Leo."

"What?" Was everyone's general answer.

"She was staring a Leo."

"Why?" Grover asked and Percy smirked, "You'll find out."

Everyone groaned.

**She kept frowning in Piper and Leo's direction, like she recognized one of them and the memory was painful.**

"See?"

**Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "...tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And Octavian–"**

Percy groaned and said, "I hate him. He's so annoying."

**"You're letting these intruders into the ****_camp_****?" A tall guy with stringy blonde hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks–"**

Some Hermes campers swallowed hard, thinking of Luke at the description.

Travis opened his mouth to say something but closed it at Percy's warning look.

**"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here in the forum."**

**"Oh, ****_much _****better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer to Reyna as his superior, despite the fact that he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."**

"Hey! That warship is amazing!" The Hephaestus cabin yelled.

**"These are our guests." Reyna clipped off every word. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."**

"Hold up? He burns teddy bears? To the gods?" Lou asked Percy, who nodded.

Clovis frowned, wanting a teddy bear while everyone busted out laughing.

"Oh my gods!"

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Teddy Bears?"

**"Good idea," Percy put in. "Go burn you teddy bears, Octavian."**

Everyone chuckled and Chiron shook his head fondly, "Perseus, you're too cheeky and impertinent."

Percy laughed lightly and replied, "I'm sorry Chiron. I had to. I can't pass down a golden opportunity. And _you know_ I have a hard time restraining myself."

"That's why you have Annabeth." Was mostly everyone response and Percy snorted.

"Yeah, sure, whatever floats your boat."

**Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."**

Thalia casted a glance at Percy. Reyna seemed to have a thing for the Hero of Olympus.

_Annabeth is so going to kill him. _

**The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing.**

"You get that a lot." Athena noted.

"Yeah, I know." Percy said, staring at the wisdom goddess.

_Pain ripped _through his chest as he watched her turned back to Zeus and whisper something to him.

The way she looked at him, it reminded him _painfully_ of Annabeth. They both looked very similar: the same honey blonde hair and gray eyes but not just by appearance. They had the same calculating look, the exact same one Annabeth gave him when he asked her something stupid and they both rolled their eyes the same way.

_Not that Annabeth rolls her eyes a lot at me. Okay fine, she does it a lot._

Percy pushed that excruciating pain away and closed his eyes briefly, trying to regain his composure.

Annabeth's smile flashed through his mind, that little cute smirk she got when she knew she was going to win a sword-fight, the way her eyes sparkled with amusement when he got the legends mixed up about the _many_ gods and goddesses.

_Gods...why can't you be here with me now, Wise Girl? _

"Percy?" Thalia's voice jolted him back into the present and he saw her concerned face along with the rest of the campers and gods.

"Are you okay?" She asked and put her hand on his arm.

He flinched at her touch and then cursed himself for being an idiot.

"Yeah...I'm just-" Percy began, trying to get the right words out to make them stop pestering him.

"You miss her, don't you?" Clarisse asked and Percy shook his head, "Forget it. Let's just keep reading and-"

"Percy, if you're hurting, just tell u-" Thalia began but Percy quickly cut her off.

"_I_ _said forget it_!" Percy snapped before clenching his hand into a fist and turning his head away from the Hunter.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just tired and...I just want her. I want her with me now...and she's not and I don't know if she hurt and I can't do anything about it-" Percy took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down so he didn't start crying like a little kid.

_Relax, Perseus. She's fine. You'll see her soon. _

Percy kept taking deep breaths for a minute before he let out a sigh.

"Okay. Let's continue." He muttered and opened the book to the right page.

Everyone kept their eyes on him, knowing he almost break-down had something to do with Annabeth.

**Then he gave Annabeth a suspicious once-over and stalked away.**

"So he was checking Annabeth out?" Connor asked.

"Not the time Travis." Phoebe, a Huntress said.

"I'm Connor."

"And I'm a Hunter who could kill you in a second, who cares. Now shut up because your leader looks like he's going to lose his mind." She said sternly.

"Oh. Sorry."

**Percy slipped his hand into Annabeth's. "Don't worry about Octavian," he said. "Most of the Romans are good people––like Frank and Hazel her, and Reyna. We'll be fine."**

Percy nodded but remained silent.

**Annabeth felt as if someone had draped a cold washcloth across her neck.**

"I hate that feeling." Clarisse said and the demigods all nodded.

"Is is really that hard being a demigod?" Hestia asked Chiron, who gazed at his campers sadly.

"Yes. It is."

**She heard that whispering laughter again, as if the presence had followed her from the ship.**

"That's not good." Clovis said.

"No kidding." Chris muttered.

**She looked up at the ****_Argo II. _****Its massive bronze hull glittered in the sunlight. Part of her wanted to kidnap Percy right now, climb on board, and get out of here while they still could.**

"She wants to be alone with Percy." Aphrodite said dreamily.

**She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. And there was no way she would ever risk losing Percy again.**

Percy opened his mouth to say something and Grover said quickly, "Don't even say it Percy."

**"We'll be fine," she repeated, trying to believe it.**

**"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Annabeth thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."**

"Done." Percy said and closed the book before shoving it into Grover's hands.

"Here, you can read next-"

A bright light flashed in the room, blinding everyone temporarily.

Percy's head snapped up and he gazed at the body lying on the floor. He made a choking sound in the back of the throat before he lunged forward towards the body.

"Percy!" Grover warned, not able to see where his friend went through the misty room.

A few seconds past before the mist disappeared and they all saw Percy

holding a girl in his arms, his sea-green eyes misty and his hands were shaking slightly as he brushed a piece of curly, messy blonde hair out of her face.

The girl shifted in his arms and Percy pulled her closer to his chest and bent his head so his face was centimeters from hers.

"Annabeth." He whispered in a barely audible voice before pressing his lips against hers lightly. When he pulled away, the girl's eyelashes opened before closing again.

"Hey, keep sleeping Wise Girl. I'm here." He whispered to her softly before putting one hand under her legs and the other under her back.

He lifted her up off the floor as easily as if he was carrying a small child and carried her to the couch.

"Move." He ordered to a few campers, who were all staring at Annabeth with disbelieving eyes.

Then, Percy's voice grew sharper as he snarled, "I said _Move!"_

They winced and got off the couch as Percy gently laid her down on her back and draped a blanket over her. He kneeled next to her as Apollo tended to her wounds, singing hymns to her that closed up her most of her wounds and healed her bruises.

After a moment, her eyes fluttered again and she opened her steel grey eyes and looked at Percy.

"Seaweed Brain..." She whispered and Percy laughed and took her hand, interlacing their fingers together.

"I'm here Wise Girl."

"I'm going to kill you." She whispered and a lot of the campers smiled.

Percy kissed her hand and whispered, "I know. I'm looking forward to it."

**Like it? Review please! I'm sorry, I couldn't wait so I brought Annabeth in this chapter. I'm going to update sometime next week because I have a week off of school! Bye! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! I hope you like this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick does. **

"Give her some room." Chiron ordered as campers began rushing over to Annabeth, most of them were new campers trying to get a look at one of the Heroes of Olympus. The campers grumbled but did as they were told.

"Annabeth." Thalia said and kneeled next to Percy and hugged her tightly.

"Hey Thalia. It's good to see you again." She murmured, releasing Percy's hand.

One by one, campers greeted her and a few younger campers stared at her in awe until Percy gave them the _if you don't back off my girl, I'll show you how fast I can strangle you with toilet water _look.

Then, Athena stepped forward and gazed at her daughter. "Annabeth, I-"

"it's okay. It wasn't your fault." Annabeth whispered so only her mother and Percy could hear.

The wisdom goddess nodded briefly before looking at Percy.

"Thank you, son of Poseidon. For keeping her safe from harm." Athena said and Percy nodded to her before he began ushering a few campers away who looked fascinated in Annabeth's hair.

After everyone settled down, Annabeth stood up and looked straight at Percy.

Her eyes were angry and Percy immediately raised his hands in front of him, in case she attacked him, which he was pretty sure she was going to do.

"Wise Girl..." He said her nickname, hoping it would make her less made and maybe not kill him.

That completely failed as she pulled her dagger from her holster on her belt and lunged at him.

"You stupid son of Poseidon!" She yelled as she slashed at him. Percy ducked and tried to calm her down.

"Come on, Annabeth. Your hurt and you need to-"

Annabeth's blade caught Percy cheek, cutting a shallow cut in it before she dropped her dagger and stared at her boyfriend, breathing hard. They stared at each other for a long moment before Annabeth took in a sharp breath and flung herself at him. Percy wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "Gods Annabeth."

She smiled into his shoulder and murmured, "I love you Seaweed Brain."

He smiled and whispered back, "I love you, Wise Girl. Always." He brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, kissing her on the top of her head.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and shoved him back and fiddled with a piece of her hair, looking slightly embarrassed because everyone was watching them.

"So. Why are the gods, Hunters and all the campers here?"

"We're reading a book, called the Mark of Athena. " Percy answered and her eyes narrowed.

"You're kidding right?" She said, looking at Percy.

He shook his head and muttered, "I wish I was. Are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing together.

Annabeth's eyes softened and she shook her head slightly, "That's still adorable Perce. And I'm fine and stop worrying about me. How are your wounds?" She placed her hand on his chest, brushing her fingers across the bandages as if she were afraid to hurt him.

Percy shrugged and said, "I've been worse."

"Sorry about that by the way." She said, brushing her thumb across the cut on his cheek, whipping away the blood. He laughed lightly and touched her fingertips with his own, "It's fine. I should be used to it by now."

That made Annabeth smirk and she teased, "Because I'm a better fighter than you?"

"Yeah, right. Like I'm going to admit that. I'm better than you and you know it." He whispered in her ear and she rolled her eyes at her boyfriend before she went to greet Grover.

After a few minutes, Annabeth settled down on the couch next to Percy, Thalia and Grover and she asked, "So, who's reading first?"

"Grover. So, Annabeth, how long exactly have you liked Percy?" Travis asked, smirking at her.

"Why would you ask that?" She asked and Thalia leaned towards her and whispered something into her ear.

When Thalia sat back, Annabeth was slightly red and she said, "Oh...umm...I just tolerated him. He was a Seaweed Brain."

"Still am, Annabeth." Percy responded and she poked his side lightly.

Several campers smiled, happy to see Percy back to himself again and Chiron nodded the Grover, "Go ahead and start Grover."

Grover nodded and opened the book to the right page.

"Hey Percy." Chris said and tossed him a fresh Camp Half-Blood shirt. "Your old one's kind of...red and bloody now. And red's not your color."

Percy laughed and thanked him before pulling on the shirt and leaning back against the couch, wrapping his arm around Annabeth.

She leaned against his chest, feeling warmth spread through her as his ocean smell washed over her and he entwined their fingers together.

Grover smirked at the couple and began reading.

**Annabeth III**

"Oh my gods. Is this from my point of view?" Annabeth asked and Percy nodded.

"Great." She said sarcastically as Percy absently fiddled with her fingers, counting the small little spider bites that rested on the back of her hand.

"Oh, and by the way Perseus, if you every leave me again, I will kill you." Annabeth threatened, glaring at him.

Percy winced when she used his real name and he answered, "Check."

**ANNABETH WISH SHE HAD AN APPETTIE, because the Romans knew how to eat.**

"Do they really?"

"Yes. Probably because Percy's there." Annabeth answered Katie.

"Hey! I don't eat that much!" Percy argued and Annabeth snorted.

"Sure, remember that one time you came to my house and you ate dinner with my family?"

Percy smiled at the memory and said, trying not to laugh, "Oh shut up. You guys bought more food!"

"Because you ate it all." Annabeth complained and then smiled at her boyfriend, reaching up and kissing his jaw lightly.

"Ugh, you two are too lovey-dovey." Thalia joked and Annabeth laughed.

"You mean when we're not trying to kill each other?"

"Yep."

**Sets of couches and low tables were carted into the forum until it resembled a furniture showroom. Romans lounged in groups of ten or twenty, talking and laughing while wind spirits—aurae—swirled overhead, bringing an endless assortment of pizzas, sandwiches, chips, cold drinks, and fresh-baked cookies.**

Several campers, including Percy, groaned.

"I'm so hungry." Travis complained.

"And this book makes everything sound so good." Connor cried.

Clarisse smacked the twins on the back of the head and hissed, "Be quiet."

Annabeth elbowed Percy in the stomach and snapped, "You can eat later, Seaweed Brain."

Percy let out a grunt and nodded to Grover to keep reading.

**Drifting through the crowd were purple ghosts-****_Lares_****-in togas and legionnaire armor.**

Chris raised an eyebrow, "Ghosts can wear armor?"

Annabeth nodded, "Those are Lares. They can."

**Around the edges of the feast, satyrs-**

Grover smiled proudly while Percy looked like he was trying to stifle his laugh.

Annabeth smacked his leg and hissed, "Shut up, Percy."

**(no, ****_fauns_****, Annabeth thought)-**

"Weird." Apollo said and he got a glare from Annabeth, Artemis, Athena and Thalia.

He raised his hands in front of himself and said, "Hey, sorry. Jeez, don't kill me."

Athena smacked him on the back of the head.

"Sorry."

"What's a faun?" Connor asked and several Athena campers rolled their eyes.

"It's a Roman satyr." Percy answered him and Annabeth gasped.

"You know something, Seaweed Brain?"

"Ha, Ha. Very funny." Percy said dryly and said quickly, "Keep reading Grover."

**-trotted from table to table, panhandling for food and spare change.**

Grover spit out a piece of apple and yelled, "Panhandling for food! They ask for spare change! I should-"

Grover leaped to his feet- oh...sorry..._hoofs_- but Percy put his hand on his best friends arm and said, "Come on G-Man. What are you going to do with those fauns when you get there? They won't change their ways because they were born into a place like that."

Grover's nostrils flared but he sat back down and smiled at Percy, "Thanks Perce."

"No problem, G-Man." They bumped fists and Annabeth and Thalia smiled.

"Oh my gods! I just remember something!" Percy said and stood up.

"Where you brain is?" Clarisse called and several campers chuckled.

He glared at her and said, "No. We're all together again, except for Nico."

Grover stood up and put his arm around Percy, "Come on, group hug!"

Percy pulled Annabeth and Thalia up, who were rolling their eyes but joined the other two in a hug.

"The Trio's back!" Percy said and Annabeth rolled her eyes and said, "A trio is three, Percy."

"The Quadrupleted?"

She ruffled his hair and cooed, "Aww, they're so cute when they make up words, don't you think so Thalia?"

Thalia smirked and said, "Yeah, just adorable." She pinched Percy's cheek and he swatted her hands away.

They all settled back down, with the campers watching them with amusement.

**In the nearby fields, the war elephant frolicked with Mrs. O'Leary, and children played tag around the statues of Terminus that lined the city limits. **

"That sounds like Camp. But different." Katie said and Demeter nodded her head.

"The two campers are a lot alike, Katie."

"They are." Annabeth stated.

**The whole scene was so familiar yet so completely alien that it gave Annabeth vertigo.**

"What's vertigo?" Connor asked and Athena answered him.

"It's a subtype of dizziness in which a patient inappropriately experiences the perception of motion due to dysfunction of the vestibular system, usually due to a spinning motion. It is often associated with nausea and-"

"Okay, I'm dating Annabeth and even I couldn't follow that." Percy said and Annabeth glared at him.

"I mean...your amazing, smart, beautiful and please don't kill me."

"Nice save Percy." Thalia said, laughing as Annabeth smacked Percy on his chest before leaning against him again, huffing with annoyance.

** All she wanted to do was be with Percy-preferable alone.**

Cat calls echoed across the room and the Stolls whistled.

Annabeth muttered, "Oh gods." Before she turned her body and buried her face into Percy shirt, blushing.

Percy was blushing as well but he chuckled.

"When you get Percy alone, what were you going to do?" Chris asked, waggling his eyebrows and laughing along with Clarisse.

"Come on, just shut it." Percy scolded them and he draped one of his arms across Annabeth shoulders and whispered, "It'll be find Wise Girl."

Annabeth almost thanked him until she heard the laughter in his voice.

She nudged him hard, mostly by accident in his..._uhm his friend downstairs..._and he let out a hiss of pain before pulling away from her and glaring angrily at her.

Annabeth glared back at him, they're eyes locked.

Silence filled the room and they watched the two have a silent standoff.

After a few very long moments, Annabeth let out a sigh and said, "Sorry, Seaweed Brain."

"It's fine, Annabeth."

Annabeth leaned back into him and rested her head against his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her tightly.

**She knew she would have to wait.**

"A long time." Annabeth said and Athena looked annoyed while the other campers were snickering.

**If their quest was going to succeed, they needed these Romans, which meant getting to know them and building some goodwill.**

"Sadly." Athena muttered.

"Clever idea, daughter of Athena." Hestia said and Annabeth smiled at her gratefully.

**Reyna and a few of her officers (including the blond kid Octavian, freshly back from burning a teddy bear for the gods)-**

Again, several campers chuckled and Rachael rolled her eyes.

"I still think that's the most ridiculous thing ever."

"No kidding." Percy said, smiling at her.

**-sat with Annabeth and her crew. Percy joined them with his two new friends, Frank and Hazel.**

Lou chuckled, "You called them your crew."

Everyone stared at her and said, "How is that funny?"

"Never mind."

**As a tornado of food platters settle onto their table, Percy leaned over-**

"And kissed you!" Chris said.

"And asked you to marry him and told you he was absolutely in love with you!" Aphrodite gushed.

The couple turned red and Percy managed to say, "None of those is true."

He got glared from Annabeth and Thalia.

"I-I didn't mean it like that! I do love you and...I would've kiss you and I want t-"

He was silence as Annabeth kissed him and pulled away, her eyes shining with laughter.

"Gods, I know Seaweed Brain. I was kidding."

Percy let out a relived sigh and Aphrodite asked, "So, you _do _want to marry Annabeth?"

"Erm...I not answering that Aphrodite." Percy said.

Before he go bombarded by campers asking questions, Percy told Grover to read.

**-and whispered, "I want to show you around New Rome. Just you and me. The place is incredible."**

"_Just you and me_ is what all the campers want." Thalia smirked and Grover snickered at their friend's blushing faces.

The campers who had thrown the couple into the Lake, stood up and bowed, every single one of them grinning.

"Presenting! The crew who helped make_ Percabeth_ possible-"

"Would've happened without you anyways." Percy muttered and he got glares from some of the _Operation: Percabeth Crew_ and he shook his head, "Never mind."

"_Anyways_, and the people who threw them into the lake where they made out!"

The rest of the campers cheered while Percy and Annabeth blushed.

Athena rolled her eyes and Poseidon smiled.

**Annabeth should've felt thrilled.**

"Who wouldn't? It's Percy." Drew commented and Annabeth glared at her.

"What, it's not enough flirting with Jason?" She snapped and Drew turned and glared at her.

"He didn't have his memory and they weren't even dating in the first place."

Percy wrapped his arm around Annabeth waist and whispered in her ear, "Relax, Wise Girl. I promised I would never leave you didn't I?"

After a moment, Annabeth nodded and Percy whispered, "So, you have nothing to be jealous about. It's _always_ been **_you_**. And it always will be." **(A/N: Can't you see Percy saying something like that. I can, for no apparent reason.)**

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, feeling exhausted.

**_Just you and me _****was exactly what she wanted. Instead resentment swelled in her throat.**

Percy looked guilty until he got smacked in the back of the head by Annabeth.

"Stop blaming yourself for everything. It wasn't your fault." She said.

_But it was...it's my fault they closed Olympus...well partly my fault. But still, technically my fault. _

Poseidon felt bad because his son was blaming himself for a lot of things that he couldn't of stopped, things he had nothing to do with.

**How could Percy talk so enthusiastically about this place? What about Camp Half-Blood––****_their camp, their home?_**

Percy tightened his arm around Annabeth's waist, who had moved so she was sitting in front of him, with her cheek resting against his chest.

"Camp Half-Blood is _our_, Annabeth. I would never replace it." Percy muttered softly in her ear and she replied quietly, "I know. Besides, I already know the reason you like it so much."

She raised her head and smirked at her boyfriend, who rolled his eyes at her and kissed the side of her head, "I know, Wise Girl. Just shut up."

Several campers, mostly the older ones, glared at Percy and he snapped, "Would you stop glaring at me? I would never leave Camp Half-Blood. _Ever_."

**She tried not to stare at the new marks on Percy's forearm–an SPQR tattoo like Jason's. At Camp Half-Blood, demigods got bead necklaces to commemorate years of training. Here, the Romans burned a tattoo into your flesh, as if to say: ****_You belong to us. Permanently._**

"No, you belong to us." Thalia snapped at the book and Grover nodded in agreement.

"Well, technically, he belongs to Annabeth." Connor pointed out, causing Percy and Annabeth to roll their eyes.

Chiron gazed at the tattoos on Percy's arm, that were covered slightly with some gauze.

"What does SPQR mean?" Travis asked and Athena answered him.

"It means _Senatus Populusque Romanorum,_ which means The Senate and the People of Rome."

"So Percy's Roman now?" Apollo asked and Percy snorted out loud.

'Do I look Roman to you? I'm Greek through and through." Percy answered.

"Good, because I don't think I would date a Roman." Annabeth smiled.

**She swallowed back some biting comments. "Okay. Sure."**

Thalia shook her head and commented, "You should've let him have it Annabeth. You could've kicked his butt."

Annabeth laughed and said, "Trust me, I'll kick his butt when this war is over."

Percy smirked, "You sure about that, Annabeth?"

His girlfriend smirked back at him, "After the next chapter is over, you, me and the sword arena."

Annabeth stuck out her hand and smiled, "Deal, Seaweed Brain."

"Wanta kiss on it?"

_Whack! _

"Okay, okay. Sorry." They shook hands and Annabeth reached up and kissed his cheek, causing him to blush.

**"I've been thinking," he said nervously. "I had this idea–"**

That made several campers raise their eyebrows.

"What idea?" Athena snapped and Percy laughed, "You'll find out later."

That got groans from everyone in the room and Annabeth smirked.

Chiron watched the two for a moment before realizing what he was saying, and smiling fondly at Percy, who smiled back and nodding slightly.

"What?" Katie asked and Percy shrugged, "Chiron has it."

"Chiron!" The campers moaned but he shook his head and said, "It's not for me to share. As Percy stated, you'll have to wait and see."

**He stopped as Reyna called a toast to friendship.**

That made several gods snort.

"A toast of friendship my as-" Thalia was cut off by Artemis scolding her.

"Thalia Grace! Don't use that kind of language around children."

The hunter dipped her head and then one of her Hunter friends whispered to her, "Yeah Thalia. Only use language that when you talking about a _boy_."

Thalia shook her head and laughed.

**After introductions all around, the Romans and Annabeth's crew began exchanging stories. Jason explained how he'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory, and how he'd gone on a quest with Piper and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera (or Juno-**

"She's equally annoying in Greek or Roman." Percy snapped and Hera snarled at the son of Poseidon.

"I'm a god. You can't just speak to me like that."

"I've done it before." Percy growled at her and Annabeth pushed him back into the couch.

"Don't lose your temper, Seaweed Brain."

Percy let out a deep sight through his nose and looked at Grover, "Continue."

**-take your pick––she was equally annoying in Greek or Roman)**

"Wow." Katie said and Percy and Annabeth smirked at each other.

"You two do think alike."

**-from imprisonment at the Wolf House in northern California.**

"You should've left her there." Percy muttered and Annabeth laughed into his chest while Thalia and Grover chuckled.

Hera didn't hear them, sadly as she was glaring at Hermes, who was snickering.

**"Impossible!" Octavian broke in. "That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there–"**

"They would've killed her." Hermes said.

**"They would've destroyed her," Piper said. "And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish."**

"I love her charmspeak." Percy said, smiling.

"You tell him Piper!" Several campers cheered.

**Octavian opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Annabeth really loved Piper's charmspeak. She noticed Reyna looking back and forth between Jason and Piper, her brow creased as if just beginning to realize the two of them were a couple.**

"That sucks." Connor said and Percy nodded.

"Yeah, it does."

"How would yo-oh...never mind. Sorry, Perce."

Percy shrugged and said, "It's fine, Con."

**"So," Jason continued, "that's how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. She's still half asleep, but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient lands––Greece itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by...what did he call it? ****_Pulling up their roots._****"**

Several people winced and the gods avoided their children's glares.

**Percy nodded thoughtfully. "Gaea's been busy over here, too. We had our own encounter with Queen Dirt Face."**

After Grover finished reading that, everyone was chuckling.

"Gods Percy. You don't change."

"Nice name, Kelpy. Queen Dirt Face." Thalia high-fived him and so did Grover.

**Percy recounted his side of the story. He talked about waking up at the Wolf House with no memories-**

A lot of people sent glares at the gods, except for Annabeth who was whispering something into Percy ear, making him chuckle and roll his eyes.

**-except for one name-**

Campers gasped and looked at Percy, "You remembered one name? Who?"

"Was it me?"

"It had to be me! Huh, Perce!"

Everyone began asking him who he remember and then Grover read ahead and then said loudly, "Awwww..."

Hera glared at Percy, "Impossible! I'm a goddess."

"Keep reading Grover."

**–****_Annabeth_****.**

"Awww!" The campers cooed, along with Aphrodite, Chiron and Thalia.

Annabeth smiled at him and Percy looked at Hera.

"The only thing you had trouble getting past was my Achilles Curse. You solved that by sending me across the Tiber, but you forgot about my mortal point. That one person that tied me to the mortal world. The person I saw, I thought of when I bathed in the River of Styx. It was Annabeth. That's why I remembered her." **(That's my guess why he remembered her and because his memories are too strong for him to forget. :) When I read that he only remembered her in SoN, I cried.)**

That sent the Aphrodite campers into hysterics.

"THAT'S SO CUTE!"

"YOU ARE SO SWEET PERCY!"

"AWWWW!"

"PERCABETH!"

"Oh, shut up." Percy groaned and then a least ten hands smacked him in the back of the head.

**When she heard that, Annabeth had to try hard not to cry.**

Annabeth buried her face into Percy's shirt and he rested his chin on top of her head, holding her tightly and she stifled a sniffle.

He bent his head and kissed her forehead and mumbled against her skin, "Shh...I'm here. And I won't leave again."

They're eyes meet and Annabeth whispered, "I love you so much Percy."

His eyes were twinkling with affection and he leaned down and kissed her.

After a few moments, he pulled away and Annabeth rested her head in the crock of his neck, comforted by his warm body and strong arms around her waist.

Grover watched them and began reading when they both closed their eyes and Percy rested the side of his head against hers.

**Percy told them how he'd traveled to Alaska with Frank and Hazel––how they'd defeated the giant Alcyoneus, freed the death god Thanatos, and returned with the lost golden eagle standard of the Roman camp to repel an attack by the giant's army.**

"Wow." Was what everyone said.

"You freed the death god?"

"Mmhh..." Percy answered Clarisse, his eyes still closed.

**When Percy had finished, Jason whistled appreciatively. "No wonder they made you praetor."**

"Can't you only have two?" Athena asked and Ares nodded.

"But Percy, Reyna and Jason makes three." Apollo said and Athena clapped.

"Good job! You figured it out."

**Octavian snorted. "Which means we now have ****_three _****praetors! The rules clearly state we can only have two!"**

**"On the bright side," Percy said, "both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can ****_both _****tell you to shut up."**

Campers busted out laughing and Percy opened his eyes and smiled.

"Gods Percy." Annabeth laughed into his neck and he grinned.

**Octavian turned as purple as a Roman T-shirt. Jason gave Percy a fist bump.**

"That's surprising. Usually children of Zeus and Poseidon don't get along." Hestia said.

"Well, those two get along...sorta." Travis said, pointing to Thalia and Percy.

"And Percy and Annabeth are dating. That defies the laws of everything godly." Connor said and Percy chuckled, "Everything _godly?"_

"Yeah. They're the first demigods _ever_ to be dating and be a daughter of Athena and son of Poseidon."

"True." The campers said and Athena rolled her eyes.

**Even Reyna managed a smile, though her eyes were stormy.**

Thalia narrowed her eyes as Percy winced slightly but said nothing.

**"We'll have to figure out the extra praetor problem later," she said. "Right now we have more serious issues to deal with."**

**"I'll step aside for Jason," Percy said easily. "It's no biggie."**

"No biggie! The leadership of Rome is no _biggie!" _Ares gasped and Percy shrugged, "I don't like taking his job. It took his months to get that position and I only got it because I killed a giant and brought back their eagle."

"That's a lot, Kelp Head." Thalia said.

**Percy ignored him and turned to Jason. "You're Thalia Grace's brother, huh? Wow. You guys look nothing alike."**

"Wow. Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't notice that." Thalia said dryly.

"He's your brother?" The campers who didn't know yelled.

"Come on. Even Percy could figure it out." She said and Percy smiled and then scowled at her.

"Hey!"

**"Yeah, I noticed," Jason said.**

Campers chuckled.

**"Anyway, thanks for helping my camp while I was gone. You did an awesome job."**

**"Back at you." Percy said.**

"Aww, you just called us your camp." Thalia said and Percy smiled at her.

"Of course. You guys are my family." Percy answered and the campers all smiled at him, as did Chiron and Hestia.

**Annabeth kicked his shin.**

"You didn't need to do that." Percy pointed out and Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Yeah! Put him in his place Annabeth!" Artemis and Athena yelled, making campers burst out laughing.

** She hated to interrupt a budding bromance, but Reyna was right: they had serious things to discuss. "We should talk about the Great Prophecy. It sounds like the Romans are aware of it too?"**

"Budding bromance." Travis laughed.

"Hey! Only Grover and Percy have a bromance!"

Grover bleated and smacked Connor on the back of his head with his hoof.

Percy winced at the sound of Grover's hoof hitting his head but then smiled at his best friend, "Hit im' harder G-Man. Maybe he'll pass out and then wake up when we're done with the book."

The two best friends fist-bumped and Annabeth and Thalia shook their heads at the boys.

**Reyna nodded. "We call it the Prophecy of Seven. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?"**

**"Of course," he said. "But, Reyna––"**

**"Recite it, please. In English, not Latin."**

"Whipped." Chris laughed only to get smack by Clarisse.

"Like Percy?" Katie said innocently and Percy argued.

"I'm not whipped! If anyone's whipped, it's Grover." He turned and smirked at his best friend, who blushed. **(A/N: I don't know why, but whenever people put ****_beet red_**** it bugs me...) **

"Speaking of whipped. Let me whip out this picture of Percy, we found under Annabeth's bed." Travis announced and pulled out a picture of baby Percy. **(If you want to see the picture, there's a link on my profile. It's adorable.)**

"That was in a locked box!" Annabeth yelled and Percy turned red with embarrassment.

"Aww...look at Percy's chubby little legs." Thalia cooed and took the picture from Travis to look at is closer.

Percy was about 1 year old in the picture: with cute chubby cheeks, messy black hair peaking out of the fabric on top of his head, sparkling deep sea-green eyes and a adorable smile on his face, showing two teeth.

Everyone cooed at the picture and Annabeth yanked it away from Thalia and stuffed it in her pocket.

"Keep reading Grover." Annabeth pleaded before hiding her face in Percy's neck.

**Octavian sighed. "****_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall––"_**

**_"An oath to keep with a final breath,_****" Annabeth continued. "****_And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."_**

**Everyone stared at her–except for Leo, who had constructed a pinwheel out of aluminum foil taco wrappers and was sticking it into passing wind spirits.**

"Cool." Apollo and Hermes said and Nyssa rolled her eyes.

**Annabeth wasn't sure why she had blurted out the lines of the prophecy. She'd just felt compelled.**

**The big kid, Frank, sat forward, staring at her in fascination, as if she'd grown a third eye. "Is it true you're a child of Min–I mean, Athena?"**

"What's wrong with being a child of Athena!" Athena snarled and Annabeth winced as Hestia and Artemis tried to calm her down.

"Can you imagine Annabeth with a third eye?" Connor blurted out, making Percy snicker.

"Shut up Percy!"

**"Yes," she said, suddenly feeling defensive. "Why is that such a surprise?"**

"She's a maiden goddess. He didn't mean to offend you." Percy told his girlfriend.

"I know." She answered.

**Octavian scoffed. "If you're truly a child of the ****_wisdom _****goddess–"**

"If I was truly a wisdom goddess's child, I would've ripped your head off already." Annabeth snapped and Percy shook his head.

"Come on, Wise Girl. He's an idiot."

Travis winced and said, "I don't like daughters of Athena. They're scary."

**"Enough," Reyna snapped.**

"Thank you!" Athena said.

** "Annabeth is what she says. She's here in peace. Besides..." She gave Annabeth a look of grudging respect. "Percy has spoken highly of you."**

Grover made a choking sound in the back of his throat and everyone looked at Percy curiously.

"Please, for the love of _gods,_ _keep reading."_ He begged before turning his head so he was looking at his shoes.

**The undertones in Reyna's voice took Annabeth a moment to decipher. Percy looked down, suddenly interested in his cheeseburger.**

Everyone was silent, watching as Annabeth turned and glared at Percy.

**Annabeth's face felt hot. Oh, gods...Reyna had tried to make a move on Percy. **

Percy shivered as Annabeth moved closer to him and hissed in his ear, "Your lucky _this_ time Perseus Jackson."

"She made a move on you!" Thalia demanded, sparks flying from her hands.

"It was more like her needing a new praetor." Percy said.

"But they usually get romantically involved." Zeus said and Percy winced.

"Uh huh." Was his reply.

"If you did anything Jackson-" Athena snarled but Percy cut her off sharply.

"Don't you even _suggest _that I would do something to _hurt Annabeth!_ I already hurt her enough by disappearing for 7 months!" He snapped, water churning around his fingertips and curling up his wrist.

"Percy." Chiron warned and Percy closed his fist, making the water zip back into the water glasses in the corner of the room.

"Keep reading." Percy as much as order Grover, his voice had a sharp edge of anger to it.

**That explained the tinge of bitterness, maybe even envy, in her words. Percy had turned her down for Annabeth.**

"Of course I would." Percy grumbled and Annabeth took his hand and squeezed it.

**At that moment, Annabeth forgave her ridiculous boyfriend for everything he'd ever done wrong.**

That's when Percy broke into a wide grin.

"Everything?" He asked his girlfriend, who rolled her eyes and said, "Mostly everything."

"But you said-" He was interrupted as Annabeth kissed the tip of his nose and said, "Some stuff is pretty high up on the list, Seaweed Brain. And if you forget our _1 year anniversary._...I'll _kill you." _

Percy swallowed hard and nodded, "Fair enough."

**She wanted to throw her arms around him, but she commanded herself to stay cool.**

Several campers giggled and began whispering to each other.

Percy smirked smugly and Annabeth blushed.

**"Uh, thanks," she told Reyna. "At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death...that means Romans and Greeks. We have to combine forces to find those doors."**

**Hazel, the girl with the cavalry helmet and the long curly hair, picked up something next to her plate. It looked like a large ruby; but before Annabeth could be sure, Hazel slipped it into the pocket of her denim shirt.**

Percy, Annabeth and Hades looked at each other. They knew about the curse.

"Woah! I want a girl like that!" Connor yelled and Percy snapped.

"She has a boyfriend, who could easily kill you."

Connor scoffed, "Please. Baby panda Chinese man? He can't kill me."

"He's the son of Mars." Annabeth reminded him.

"Whatever, I still want her."

**"My brother, Nico,-**

"HER WHAT!" Thalia screamed and Katie, along with the rest of the campers looked murderous.

"He knew where Percy was all this time!" The Hunter snarled and Percy reminded her.

"Thals, yes he did. I even meet him when I didn't have my memory. I kind of still want to strangle him, but it had to be done. The Romans couldn't know I was Greek because they would've kill me."

Thalia huffed and crossed her arms, "I'm still going to kick his butt when he comes."

Percy smiled at her and said, "We can do it together."

She smiled and said, "Some of my Hunters can help, and Annabeth can help to."

The Hunters cheered and Artemis rolled her eyes but smiled at Thalia.

**-went looking for the doors," she said.**

"Is he stupid!" Katie yelled and Lou nodded, "He's going to get himself killed."

Hades looked worried for his son, fiddling with a black ring on his finger.

**"Wait," Annabeth said. "Nico Di Angelo? He's your brother?"**

**Hazel nodded as if this were obvious.**

"It's not obvious." Clarisse stated.

** A dozen more questions crowded into Annabeth's head, but it was already spinning like Leo's pinwheel. She decided to let the matter go. "Okay. You were saying?"**

**"He disappeared." Hazel moistened her lips. "I'm afraid...I'm not sure, but I think something's happened to him."**

Everyone gasped and Thalia stared at Percy and Annabeth.

"What happened to him?"

Percy closed his eyes and answered, "He was captured...by Gaea."

Immediately, the campers began screaming, cursing and throwing pillows to the floor as they got up, as if ready to search for him.

Hades' eyes were burning with fury and he bellowed, "That witch captured my son! I'm going to tear her head off and-"

"Brother."

Hades looked at Poseidon shocked and the sea god said quietly, "We all want to tear her apart. But Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty...and you do remember his mother?"

Hades nodded and Poseidon continued, "He will do whatever it takes to save your son. That might be the reason he ended up falling into Tarturas." The sea god turned away.

Hades closed his eyes and asked Percy quietly in his mind: _Is my son alive?_

Percy looked up and gave him a very small nod that no one else caught.

_Thank you._ Hades thought in his mind before looking at Grover, "Read, Lord of the Wild."

Grover nodded and did as he was told.

**"We'll look for him." Percy promised. **

Poseidon gave his brother a pointed look, which Hades rolled his eyes to.

** "We have to find the Doors of Death anyway. Thanatos told us we'd find both answers in Rome–like the ****_original _****Rome. That's on the way to Greece, right?"**

Thalia rolled her eyes, "No. It's in Antarctica Percy."

"Really?" Connor perked up and he was zapped with lightning.

"Don't even start with me, boy." Thalia snapped, clearly worried about Nico and her friends.

**"Thanatos told you this?" Annabeth tried to wrap her mind around ****_that _****idea. "The death god?"**

**She'd met many gods. She'd even been to the Underworld; but Percy's story about freeing the incarnation of death itself really creeped her out.**

"Me too." Most of the campers chorused.

**Percy took a bite out of his burger. "Now that Death is free, monsters will disintegrate and return to Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, they'll just keep coming back."**

"Wow, Percy said something smart! Good boy!" Thalia teased, causing Grover and Annabeth to laugh.

"Hey!"

**Piper twisted the feather in her hair. "Like water leaking through a dam," she suggested.**

Thalia smiled and said, "Yeah. Exactly like that, Piper."

**"Yeah." Percy smiled. "We've got a dam hole."**

Thalia, Grover and Percy bursted out laughing, causing Grover to drop the book.

They kept laughing for a few minutes as everyone stared at them, confused.

Finally, Thalia managed to say, "When we went on a quest to save Artemis and Annabeth."

Then she gave Percy a hug and said, "You are brilliant."

**"What?" Piper asked.**

**"Nothing," he said. "Inside joke.-**

Again, the three chuckled.

**-The point is we'll have to find the doors and close them before we can head to Greece. It's the only way we'll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they ****_stay _****defeated."**

"Good plan."

**Reyna plucked an apple from a passing fruit tray. She turned it in her fingers, studying the dark red surface. "You propose an expedition to Greece in your warship. You do realize that the ancient lands–and the Mare Nostrum–are dangerous?"**

"Percy's been in the Underworld a few times and he's snuck out of camp and he bathed in the Styx. His middle name is dangerous." Connor concluded and smiled.

**"Mary who?" Leo asked.**

Several campers chuckled at Leo's behavior.

**"Mare Nostrum," Jason explained. "****_Our _****Sea. It's what the ancient Romans called the Mediterranean."**

**Reyna nodded. "The territory that was once the Roman empire is not only the birthplace of the gods. It's also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans and giants...and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods her in America, ****_there _****it would be ten times worse."**

**"You said Alaska would be bad," Percy reminded her. "We survived that."**

"Percy, it's a lot worse." Annabeth said.

**Reyna shook her head. Her fingernails cut little crescents into the apple as she turned it. "Percy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It's been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there." **

"That's good then! Because everyone knows Percy's crazy."

That got some laughs from the campers and gods.

Annabeth laughed, "Oh, Seaweed Brain."

**"Then we're good!" Leo grinned over the top of his pinwheel. "Because we're all crazy, right? Besides, the Argo II is a top-of-the-line warship. She'll get us through."**

Percy rolled his eyes, holding back his laughter.

**"We'll have to hurry," Jason added. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully."**

That made a lot of the campers look worried.

**Annabeth shuddered. She'd had her own share of nightmares lately.**

"So have I." Thalia and Percy echoed.

**"****_Seven half-bloods must answer the call,_****" she said. "It needs to be a mix of both our camps. Jason, Piper, Leo, and me. That's four."**

Thalia winced and said, "That means your both one of the Seven." She looked at Percy and Annabeth.

Chiron closed his eyes, feeling terrible because Percy had to be part of another prophecy. And save the world. _Again._

**"And me," Percy said. "Along with Hazel and Frank. That's seven."**

"Yay." Percy said dryly and Annabeth squeezed his hand again.

"That sucks." Katie muttered to Travis, who nodded and answered, "No kidding. Having the whole world on your shoulders."

**"What?" Octavian shot to his feet. "We're supposed to accept that? Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate? Without–"**

"Just shut up!" Rachael and Thalia yelled at the book.

**"Percy!" Tyson the Cyclops bounded toward them with Mrs. O'Leary at his heels. On the hellhound's back sat the skinniest harpy Annabeth had ever seen–a sickly-looking girl with stringy red hair, a sackcloth dress, and red-feathered wings.**

"Tyson saves the day!" Travis and Connor yelled.

Percy and Poseidon both smiled.

"Who's the chicken?" Chris asked and Percy rolled his eyes, "That's Ella, And she's a Harpy."

**Annabeth didn't know where the harpy had come from, but her heart warmed to see Tyson in his tattered flannel and denim with the backward SPQR banner across his chest. She'd had some pretty bad experiences with Cyclopes, but Tyson was a sweetheart. He was also Percy's half brother (long story), which made him almost like family.**

"Aww, that's cute." Thalia cooed mockingly as Annabeth blushed.

**Tyson stopped by their couch and wrung his meaty hands. His big brown eye was full of concern. "Ella is scared," he said.**

"Aww-"

"Shut up!" The Ares cabin yelled at the Aphrodite campers.

"I'm going to drown all of you if you don't shut up!" Percy yelled over the arguing campers.

Some Ares campers grumbled but they quieted down.

"How'd he do that." Apollo asked and Poseidon smirked, "My son's a natural leader."

**"No-n-no more boats," the harpy muttered to herself, picking furiously at her feathers. "Titanic, Lusitania, Pax...boats are not for harpies."**

**Leo squinted. he looked at Hazel, who was seated next to him. "Did that chicken girl just compare ****_my _****ship to the Titanic?"**

That made the campers snicker but the Hephaestus cabin to pale.

"No! The Argo II is nothing like the _Titanic!" _

**"She's not a chicken." Hazel averted her eyes as if Leo made her nervous.**

"He makes her nervous because..." Travis started but Percy waved him off.

"Nope. Your learn later. "

**"Ella's a harpy. She's just a little...high-strung."**

**"Ella is pretty," Tyson said.**

That made all the campers, even the Hunters, to say loudly, "Awww..."

"That's so cute." Katie said.

"Yeah, it's is." Percy said.

**"And scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship."**

**"No ships," Ella repeated. She looked straight at Annabeth. "Bad luck. There she is. Wisdom's daughter walks alone–"**

Everyone was looking at Annabeth, who was hugging Percy tightly and he stroked her hair.

Athena's eyes flared with anger and she snarled, "That piece of-"

Grover continued reading quickly.

**"Ella!" Frank stood suddenly. "Maybe it's not the best time–"**

**"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome," Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death. Giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail."**

A lot of campers, mostly from the Athena cabin, sucked in their breath and stared at Annabeth.

Chiron gasped and muttered, "_Woven_ jail..."

Thalia took one of Annabeth's hands and squeezed it reassuringly.

"It'll be okay, Annabeth." She promised and Annabeth nodded.

"I know."

**The effect was like someone dropping a flash grenade on the table. Everyone stared at the harpy. No one spoke. Annabeth's heart was pounding. The Mark of Athena...She resisted the urge to check her pocket, but she could feel the silver coin growing warmer–the cursed gift from her mother. Follow the Mark of Athena. **

**Avenge me.**

Malcolm asked, "Avenge her for what?"

Annabeth shook her head and muttered, "Read Grover."

**Around them, the sounds of the feast continued, but muted and distant, as if their little cluster of couches had slipped into a quieter dimension.**

**Percy was the first to recover. He stood and took Tyson's arm.**

"Usually is." Travis muttered to Connor, who nodded in agreement.

**"I know!" he said with feigned enthusiasm. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs. O'Leary–"**

"That might work." Chiron nodded.

**"Hold on." Octavian gripped one of his teddy bears, strangling it with his shaking hands.**

"Oh! The teddy bear!" Connor screamed and Travis cried into his sleeve.

"He was so _young!" _

Despite the situation, the gods chuckled with amusement.

**His eyes fixed on Ella. "What was that she said? It sounded like–"**

"A prophecy." Rachael said.

**"Ella reads a lot," Frank blurted out. "We found her at a library."**

**"Yes!" Hazel said. "Probably just something she read in a book."**

**"Books," Ella muttered helpfully. "Ella likes books."**

**Now that she'd said her piece, the harpy seemed more relaxed. She sat cross-legged on Mrs. O'Leary's back, preening her wings.**

"Thank gods she did." Percy muttered.

**Annabeth gave Percy a curious glance. Obviously, he and Frank and Hazel were hiding something. Just as obviously, Ella had recited a prophecy–a prophecy that concerned her.**

**Percy's expression said, ****_Help._**

"When doesn't it?" Thalia said, trying to lighten the mood.

A few campers rolled their eyes and chuckled while Percy shot her a grateful look.

**"That was a prophecy," Octavian insisted. "It sounded like a prophecy."**

"Because it was." Rachael said.

**No one answered.**

**Annabeth wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but she understood that Percy was on the verge of big trouble.**

**She forced a laugh. "Really, Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours really foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?"**

"But our can't do anything?" Connor said and Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Annabeth just pointed that out."

**Her words had the intended effect. The Roman officers laughed nervously. Some sized up Ella, then looked at Octavian and snorted. The idea of a chicken lady issuing prophecies was apparently just as ridiculous to Romans as it was to Greeks.**

"Gods, you save my life so many times, Wise Girl." Percy said and she smiled.

"The same goes for you, Percy." She replied.

**"I, uh..." Octavian dropped his teddy bear. "No, but–"**

**"She's just spouting lines from some book," Annabeth said, "like Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have a real prophecy to worry about."**

**She turned to Tyson. "Percy's right. Why don't you take Ella and Mrs. O'Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while. Is Ella okay with that?" **

"Yes, she should be." Chiron said.

**"Large dogs are good," Ella said. "Old Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."**

**Annabeth wasn't sure how to take that answer, but Percy smiled like the problem was solved.**

"That's a yes, Annabeth." Percy said and she rolled her eyes.

"I know."

"Of course. I forgot you know everything." He teased and poked her stomach, making her laugh.

**"Great!" Percy said. "We'll iris-message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later."**

**The Romans looked at Reyna, waiting for her ruling. Annabeth held her breath.**

**Reyna had an excellent poker face. She studied Ella, but Annabeth couldn't guess what she was thinking.**

"Great poker face. We could use her." Travis said and smiled at Connor.

"We would make so much money." His brother agreed.

"Idiots." Thalia and Annabeth said.

**"Fine," the praetor said at last. "Go."**

**"Yay!" Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hug–even Octavian, who didn't look happy about it. Then he climbed on Mrs. O'Leary's back with Ella, and the hellhound bounded out of the forum. They dove straight into a shadow on the Senate House wall and disappeared.**

"What is it like?" Katie asked Percy and he smiled.

"It's awesome actually. But if you don't like the dark, strange noises, being cold or feeling like your face is going to be ripped off, then I don't think you should ever do it."

**"Well." Reyna sat down her uneaten apple. "Octavian is right about one thing. We must gain the senate's approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a quest–especially on as dangerous as you're suggesting."**

Around the room, everyone groaned.

**"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian grumbled. "That trireme is not a ship of peace!"**

**"Come aboard, man," Leo offered. "I'll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if you're really good I'll give you a little paper captain's hat to wear."**

That made some people burst out laughing, some even falling on the floor.

"Gods, Leo." Travis laughed.

**Octavian's nostrils flared. "How dare you–"**

**"It's a good idea," Reyna said. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a senate meeting in one hour."**

**"But..." Octavian stopped. Apparently he could tell from Reyna's expression that further arguing would not be good for his health. "Fine."**

"Annabeth gives those looks to Percy a lot." Thalia smirked at the couple.

"Shut up Pinecone Face." Percy said and she glared at him.

**Leo got up. He turned to Annabeth, and his smile changed. It happened so quickly, Annabeth thought she'd imagined it; but just for a moment someone else seemed to be standing in Leo's place, smiling coldly with a cruel light in his eyes. Then Annabeth blinked, and Leo was just regular old Leo again, with his usual impish grin.**

"That's bad." Chris said.

"Really?" Katie said, rolling her eyes.

**"Back soon," he promised. "This is gonna be epic."**

"Yes it is." Apollo said, grinning along with Hermes.

"I wish I could see that." Connor groaned.

"I know how you feel man."

**A horrible chill settled over her. As Leo and Octavian headed for the rope ladder, she thought about calling them back–but how could she explain that? Tell everyone she was going crazy, seeing things and feeling cold?**

"Annabeth." Percy complained.

"I know. I know. I should've told you." She answered.

**The wind spirits began clearing their plates.**

**"Uh, Reyna," Jason said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to show Piper around before the senate meeting. She's never seen New Rome."**

Several guys shook their heads. "Bad move Jason. You don't flaunt around your new girlfriend to your ex."

"They were never dating." Thalia pointed out.

"Still. It's like yelling at a baby who's crying. It makes no sense."

"What you just said doesn't make sense." Thalia retorted.

The Apollo camper said back, "Your face doesn't make sense!"

"I'm going to get my bow and shove my arrows up yo-"

"GROVER KEEP READING!" Percy and Annabeth yelled together and glared at the Apollo camper, who reluctantly sat down, not wanting all three of them mad at him.

**Reyna's expression hardened.**

"See."

**Annabeth wondered how Jason could be so dense.**

"See, he is like Percy." Thalia pointed out, sending a glare at her _dear _cousin.

Percy grimaced and said, "I'm oblivious to girls okay? And I was confused, especially when Annabeth kissed me at Mount Sain-"

He shut his mouth and cursed under his breath.

Annabeth then glared at him and snapped, "Seaweed Brain!"

"Wait...were you going to say Mount Saint Helens? When we went into the Labyrinth? When you both were 14?"

Everyone's jaws dropped as Thalia gasped, "You two kissed before Percy blew up the volcano?"

Silence greeted her and the Travis said, "That explains a lot."

"Keep reading." Annabeth said to Grover.

**Was it possible he really didn't understand how much Reyna liked him? It was obvious enough to Annabeth. Asking to show his new girlfriend around Reyna's city was rubbing salt in the wound.**

Thalia shrugged, "Boys are stupid and oblivious."

"Hey! That's just Percy!" The guys in the room yelled.

"Hey!" Percy protested.

"It took four years, a love goddess, lots of near-death experiences and me making the first move, _twice_, before you kissed me." Annabeth reminded him and he chuckled.

**"Of course," Reyna said coldly.**

**Percy took Annabeth's hand. "Yeah, me, too. I'd like to show Annabeth–"**

**"No," Reyna snapped.**

"Why?" Clarisse asked.

"She wants to talk to me." Annabeth said.

**Percy knit his eyebrows. "Sorry?"**

**"I'd like a few words with Annabeth," Reyna said. "Alone. If you don't mind, my fellow praetor."**

**Her tone made it clear she wasn't really asking permission.**

"Oh, not good. The mistress-"

"SHE IS NOT MY MISTRESS! I WILL NEVER HAVE OR NEVER HAVE HAD A MISTRESS!" Percy snarled at Travis, who hid behind his brother and squealed, "Sorry."

Percy gritted his teeth in frustration before he leaned back against the couch and rested his head against the back of it, a piece of hair falling into his eyes.

Annabeth smoothed the piece of hair out of his eyes and smiled at him, "Relax, Seaweed Brain."

**The chill spread down Annabeth's back. She wondered what Reyna was up to. Maybe the praetor didn't like the idea of two guys who had rejected her giving their girlfriends tours of her city. Or maybe there was something she wanted to say in private. Either way, Annabeth was reluctant to be alone and unarmed with the Roman leader.**

Percy winced as the whole "_Reyna made a move Percy"_ thing was mentioned again.

**"Come, daughter of Athena." Reyna rose from her couch. "Walk with me."**

Grover held up the book and asked, "Who wants to read next?"

Chris raised his hand and Grover tossed him the book.

"Wait!" Travis said, standing up.

"I'm starving!" He complained.

The girls in the room rolled their eyes and Hestia waved her hand.

Food dropped onto everyone's lap, amazing food like turkey and greasy cheeseburgers.

Annabeth shifted so she was sitting on Percy's lap and picked up one of the forks on his plate and ate some of his blue chicken potpie.

Chris smiled and said, "Okay. I'll keep reading."

**Annabeth IV **

**Like it? Review please and I'll update probably on Sunday. :)**

**Love,**

**BlackConverse3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey beautiful amazing people! I decided to update today instead of tomorrow because I felt like it! :)**

**Do people even read these? I've always wondered that because sometimes, I'm like: Oh, look, it has nothing to do with the sorry. Ohh, look story! Yeah...I'm insane...but aren't we all? :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. Everything in bold goes to him.**

**If I ever meet Rick in person...like to get The House of Hades signed by him (which I'm probably going to do), I would cry. Seriously, I would wear my camp shirt, converse and my black hoodie that says: ****_Beware my ballpoint pen _****and****_ I would start crying because it would be one of the best days of my life. _****Okay, here's my story.**

**Annabeth VI**

Chris began.

**Annabeth wanted to hate New Rome.**

Athena sighed and said, "So do I. But the architecture."

Annabeth nodded in agreement and said, "It really is amazing."

**But as an aspiring architect, she couldn't help admiring the terraced gardens, the fountains and temples, the winding cobblestone streets and gleaming white villas.**

Travis cocked his head to the side and said, "I understood none of that. Vanilla gleams white?"

The Athena children rolled their eyes and Malcolm sighed in exasperation, "_Villas. _It's like a house."

"Oh, how come they didn't just say that?"

"It's Annabeth, she's just specific when it comes to architecture."

**After the Titan War last summer, she'd gotten her dream job of redesigning the palaces of Mount Olympus.**

Everyone grimaced when the Titan war was mentioned.

The gods all glanced nervously at each other, if Gaea succeeded, there might not be a palace on Mount Olympus to go back to...

Oh! And the fact that there might be no gods to be there...that could put a damper on anyone's day.

**Now, walking through this miniature city, she kept thinking, ****_I should have made a dome like that. I love the way those columns lead into that courtyard._**

"Oh no." Thalia quirked. "She's going to go all Architectural on you, Reyna. Run."

Grover and Percy, along with a few campers chuckled while Annabeth rolled her eyes and mumbled, "I don't have a Architectural mode."

**Whoever designed New Rome had clearly poured a lot of time and love into the project.**

"Of course they did. It was their home. They wanted to make it the best." Hestia said and several people nodded in agreement with her.

**"We have the best architects and builders in the world," Reyna said, as if reading her thoughts.**

"No you don't!" Rachael said and smiled, "You don't have Annabeth or Lady Athena."

Annabeth smiled at her and Athena nodded gratefully to the Oracle.

**"Rome always did, in the ancient times. Many demigods stay on to live here after their time at the legion. They go to our university. They settle down to raise families. Percy seemed interested in this fact."**

Annabeth blushed slightly and Percy was shifting around the food on his plate, completely ignoring the confused looks everyone was giving them.

**Annabeth wondered what ****_that _****meant.**

"Yeah Percy. What does that mean?"

Chiron gave him a smirk and Percy shrugged, "I don't know, Chiron."

His eyebrows were furrowed with confusion and he stared blankly at his teacher.

That was when Travis quirked, "You have that clueless face down, Perce."

Thalia smirked at her cousin, "He always wears that when people bring up old legends."

"Hey, it's not my fault it's hard for me to remember the legends. They're all the same to me."

"Really? So Achilles' legend is exactly like George Washington's?"

"You know what I mean Thals."

"No." She said, grinning at him, "I don't. Please explain."

"Read Chris."

**She must have scowled more fiercely than she realized, because Reyna laughed.**

Athena scowled at the book as Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Why would you scowl at something like that? It's kind of cute."

Everyone turned and stared at the daughter of Zeus like she had just said she was in love with _Apollo._

"What? They're both my best friends and I knew they liked each other. The only people who didn't know they licked each other, was the other."

"You said they_ licked_ each other."

"No, I didn't." Thalia argued and Chris winced at _her _glare, along with the other Hunters.

"Okay, never mind. Forget I even said that."

**"You're a warrior, all right," the praetor said. "You've got fire in your eyes."**

"No kidding." Most of the campers muttered.

"One of the many reasons I wanted her as a Hunter." Artemis said, smiling at the daughter of Athena.

Annabeth winced slightly as some campers looked at her surprised.

"You thought of being a Hunter?"

She nodded and said, "Yeah. But...wait. Was that why you looked freaked out when Zeus was talking to Artemis during the Winter Solstice?" She looked at Percy, who nodded.

"Yeah. I thought you were going to join the Hunters and...you had already disappeared and I was really worried because I didn't want you to leave me." He looked uncomfortable under the gods' gazes and Annabeth then smiled at him.

"Thanks Seaweed Brain. That was sweet of you."

He shrugged, "I would've done it for anybody."

That's when some people snorted, "Yeah, _suuurre." _

**"Sorry." Annabeth tried to tone down the glare.**

"Not going to work." Grover sang and Annabeth punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up Goat Boy."

**"Don't be. I'm the daughter of Bellona."**

Ares nodded and said, "The Roman war goddess. Beautiful and deadly."

"Perfect combination." Percy and Chris muttered together and then busted out laughing.

Clarisse and Annabeth rolled their eyes but Clarisse had a small smile on her face, while Annabeth shook her head and muttered, "Seaweed Brain."

**"Roman goddess of war?"**

"No Annabeth. The goddess of flowers and butterflies." Thalia said dryly.

"Isn't that Persephone?" Percy blurted out and then Hades rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Perseus , I'm married to the goddess of flowers. Don't you remember the friendly butterflies in my kingdom." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Apollo and Hermes chuckled, along with Travis and Connor.

Percy raised his hands in front of him and said, "Okay, sorry. I blurt things out sometimes without thinking."

"Are you every thinking? Or does Annabeth have to do it for you?" Thalia teased and Percy shook his head.

"I can think!"

**Reyna nodded. She turned and whistled like she was hailing a cab.**

"Percy can do that really loudly." Travis said and Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Of course he can. He's a New Yorker."

**A moment later, two metal dogs raced toward them–automaton greyhounds, one silver and one gold.**

"Either cabs have changed over the years or she wasn't whistling for cabs."

"She wasn't whistling for cabs. Those are her dogs, to see if Annabeth was lying or not." Percy answered.

"Smart." Ares nodded.

**They brushed against Reyna's legs and regarded Annabeth with glistening ruby eyes.**

"Creepy." Was most of the campers responses.

**"My pets," Reyna exclaimed. "Aurum and Argentum. You don't mind if they walk with us?"**

"Yes." Grover said.

**Again, Annabeth got the feeling it wasn't really a request.**

"Well, she is the leader of Rome." Apollo pointed out.

"Percy's the other praetor to." Poseidon argued and Athena shook her head.

"He didn't even want to be there in the first place. Besides, the Romans trust her more than Percy because he's Greek."

"She's just trying to protect her home." Hestia added.

"Why would my daughter be lying!" Athena snapped.

Percy muttered, "She came with a giant warship, with their missing leader and announced they were Greeks, which have been enemies of Romans for hundreds of years, and said they wanted peace. That's kind of skeptical."

The gods who have been talking, all looked at the Son of Poseidon and he raised his eyebrow, "Am I wrong?"

"Well, we will see what happens. Read, son." Hermes said and Chris nodded.

**She noted that the greyhounds had teeth like steel arrowheads. Maybe weapons weren't allowed inside the city, but Reyna's pets could still tear her to pieces if they chose.**

"They'd better not." Most of the campers said and Annabeth smiled gratefully.

**Reyna led her to an outdoor cafe, where the waiter clearly knew her.**

Ares rolled his eyes and said, "Really? I thought being the leader of Rome meant that you didn't know anyone."

"You would think that." Athena snapped and Annabeth let out a sigh and sunk into the couch.

"This is going to be a long chapter." She muttered to Percy.

He nodded and whispered, "Isn't this when Leo...gets controlled by the ghost things and attacks New Rome?"

She hissed, "They're called _eidolons_, Seaweed Brain. And yes, he does."

Percy groaned and cursed under his breath. "Fantastic."

**He smiled and handed her a to-go cup, then offered one to Annabeth.**

"Don't drink it Annie! It's poison!" Travis cried out and Connor gripped his curly brown hair in his hands.

"The Romans are after us! We're all gonna dieeee!"

The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes and muttered, "Are you sure their demigods, Chiron? Maybe their bodies got taken over by _eidolons_."

Percy chuckled and said, "Nah, their probably aliens."

"Definitely."

**"Would you like some?" Reyna asked. "They make wonderful hot chocolate. Not really a Roman drink–"**

"But chocolate is universal." Chiron said, smiling.

"Because their poisoned?" Connor asked, grinning widely.

Percy gazed at him with narrowed eyes, "Why are you smiling? Do you _want _her to get poisoned?"

"Nah." He waved his hand dismissively at Percy.

**"But chocolate is universal," Annabeth said.**

Chris smiled at Chiron and said, "You would know that Chiron."

The centaur smiled at him.

**"Exactly."**

**It was a warm June afternoon, but Annabeth accepted the cup with thanks. The two of them walked on, Reyna's gold and silver dogs roaming nearby.**

**"In our camp," Reyna said, "Athena is Minerva. Are you familiar with how her Roman form is different?"**

"Minerva." Annabeth and the rest of the Athena campers said.

**Annabeth hadn't really considered it before. She remembered the way Terminus had called Athena ****_that _****goddess, as if she were scandalous.**

Athena glared at the book and muttered, "_Stupid Romans." _

**Octavian had acted like Annabeth's very existence was an insult.**

"Hey! Annabeth's existence is amazing."

**"I take it Minerva isn't...Uh, quite as respected here?"**

Athena shook her head and said, "They respect me, just not as a war goddess."

Ares smirked and said, "That's me."

"That explains a lot." Percy whispered to Annabeth, Thalia and Grover and they laughed.

**Reyna blew steam from her cup. "We respect Minerva. She's the goddess of crafts and wisdom...but she isn't really a goddess of war. Not for Romans. She's also a maiden goddess, like Diana...the one you call Artemis. You won't find any children of Minerva here. The idea that Minerva would have children–frankly, it's a little shocking to us."**

That was when Travis raised his hand, like he was a third-grader who really had to go to the bathroom.

"Wait...they how were they born? If Athena's a maiden?" He asked.

"We're brain children basically." Malcolm answered and Annabeth nodded.

**"Oh." Annabeth felt her face flush. She didn't want to get into the details of Athena's children–how they were born straight from the mind of the goddess, just as Athena herself had sprung from the head of Zeus.**

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Athena and Percy both snapped.

"I think it's cool." Thalia said and Annabeth sent her a grateful look.

**Talking about that always made Annabeth feel self-conscious, like she was some sort of freak.**

"You're not a freak." Percy said and Annabeth smiled at him.

"I know, but it's kind of weird."

**People usually asked her whether or not she had a belly button, since she had been born magically.**

That made several campers snort with laughter and Athena rolled her eyes.

Apollo cocked his head and asked, "Do _you_ have a bellybutton?"

"Of course I have a bellybutton." The wisdom goddess growled at him.

**_Of course _****she had a belly button.**

That made some people chuckle and Zeus smiled.

"Like mother, like daughter."

** She couldn't explain how. She didn't really want to know.**

"I wouldn't either." Grover muttered and then shrunk back as Annabeth glared at him.

**"I understand that you Greeks don't see things the same way," Reyna continued.**

"Obviously." Annabeth said and Percy rolled his eyes.

** "But Romans take vows of maidenhood very seriously. The Vestal Virgins, for instance...if they broke their vows and fell in love with anyone, they would be buried alive.**

That made some girls in the room wince and Katie muttered, "Fun."

**-So the idea that a maiden goddess would have children–"**

**"Got it." Annabeth's hot chocolate suddenly tasted like dust.**

"That must of been awkward." Thalia laughed.

**No wonder the Romans had been giving her strange looks. "I'm not supposed to exist. And even if your camp ****_had _****children of Minerva–"**

"They would be nothing like you, Annabeth. They would be craftsmen, not warriors." Athena said.

**"They wouldn't be like you," Reyna said. "They might be craftsmen, artists, maybe advisers, but not warriors. Not leaders of dangerous quests."**

"I wouldn't call myself the leader of the quest. It was kind of Percy and Jason." Annabeth said and Thalia looked surprised.

"Really? They shared the leadership role?"

"Ugh...not really. They kind of-" She was silenced as Percy put his hand over her mouth and shook his head.

Once he removed his hand, Annabeth smirked at Thalia, "You'll find out later."

"Gods, this book is going to kill me." Athena muttered and the rest of the gods and people in the room nodded, except for Percy and Annabeth, who had been there.

**Annabeth started to object that she wasn't the leader of the quest. Not officially. But she wondered if her friends on the Argo II would agree. The past few days, they had been looking to her for orders–even Jason, who could have pulled rank as the son of Jupiter, and Coach Hedge, who didn't take orders from anyone.**

"He really doesn't." Grover muttered and Percy rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe you made him our _chaperone_, Chiron."

Chiron smiled sheepishly at Percy and said, "Well, I didn't know what would happen. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

**"There's more." Reyna snapped her fingers, and her golden dog, Aurum, trotted over. The praetor stroked his ears. "The harpy Ella...it ****_was _****a prophecy she spoke. We both know that, don't we?"**

"Yes, you do." Clarisse said.

**Annabeth swallowed. Something about Aurum's ruby eyes made her uneasy. She had heard that dogs could smell fear, even detect changes in a human's breathing and heartbeat. She didn't know if that applied to magical metal dogs, but she decided it would be better to tell the truth.**

"Thank the gods." Percy let out a sigh of relief and when he got questioning glances, he answered, "Her dogs can sense when you're lying."

Thalia glared at him," You didn't think of telling her that before she went off with Reyna."

"I barley just saw her after 7 months, Thalia. It wasn't the first thing to come to my mind." He retorted.

"What was the first thing to come to your mind?" Poseidon asked.

"That is would probably be the best day of my life, being able to see her again." Percy answered wistfully and Annabeth gazed at him sadly from her spot next to him.

"Did it really feel that bad?" Chris asked.

Percy let out a sigh and answered him, "She was the first and only thing clear memory, I remembered when I woke up in the Wolf House. I didn't know where I was or why I was there. And there was a time...where I thought I would forget her completely, and that thought terrified me."

"It would terrify anyone." Grover said and put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah." Was Percy's only answer and he nodded to Chris to began reading again.

**"It sounded like a prophecy," she admitted. "But I've never met Ella before today, and I've never heard those lines exactly."**

"Well..." Rachael began and Annabeth said, "I haven't heard the prophecy before that day."

**"I have," Reyna murmured. "At least some of them–"**

"Some of them?" Malcolm asked.

Annabeth shook her head and said, "I didn't know what she was talking about at the time."

**A few yards away, the silver dog barked. A group of children spilled out of a nearby alleyway and gathered around Argentum, petting the dog and laughing, unfazed by its razor-sharp teeth.**

Percy protested, "What's wrong with that? Why would they be afraid of them. They remind me of Mrs. O'Leary and she's adorable."

Katie looked at Annabeth and said seriously, "Annabeth. I think you need to fix your boyfriend."

"I know." She laughed and Percy glared at her.

**"We should move on," Reyna said.**

"Yes, we should." Ares said and then rubbed his hands together, grinning a grin that made most campers look extremely frightened.

That made Athena glare at the war god and Thalia to roll her eyes.

"I don't think anyone capable of doing that." The Hunter said.

**They wound their way up the hill. The greyhounds followed, leaving the children behind. Annabeth kept glancing at Reyna's face. **

Percy then smiled and said, "You recognize her now? Don't you?"

When Annabeth nodded, Poseidon and Athena raised their eyebrows.

"You've both meet a Roman before?" They asked and the two both nodded.

"Well, she wasn't the Roman leader then. We meet her on a quest." Percy answered.

**A vague memory started tugging at her–the way Reyna brushed her hair behind her ear, the silver ring she wore with the torch and sword design.**

"The mark of Bellona." Ares said and Zeus rolled his stormy grey eyes.

"Really? I didn't know that."

"You should listen more, father."

Athena and Artemis muttered, "Idiot."

**Reyna gave her a dry smile. "Very good. Percy didn't remember me.-**

It was Percy time to roll his eyes.

"Well, yeah. It kind of went with the whole '_got your memory stolen by a goddess'_ thing."

**-Of course you spoke mostly with my older sister Hylla, who is now queen of the Amazons. She left just this morning, before you arrived. At any rate, when we last met, I was a mere handmaiden in the house of Circe."**

"Woah." Katie said.

"You meet Circe? When?" Grover asked.

"When we snuck out of camp to save you." Annabeth said, smirking as Grover blushed.

Athena raised her eyebrow, "You two sneak out often?"

That made Percy choke and he coughed as Annabeth turned pink.

"Erm...no?"

"Oh my gods. Did you two break the rules again? What did you do this time?" Thalia asked.

"You mean what did _Percy_ do this time?" Clarisse smirked and Percy glared at her.

Then, Percy pointed at Annabeth, "It was her fault. Completely her fault."

"Seaweed Brain." She scolded and smack his arm.

"It technically was." He retorted, but the corner of his lips were twitching, showing he was trying hard not to smile.

"Just continue."

**"Circe..." Annabeth remembered her trip to the island of the sorceress. She'd been thirteen. Percy and she had washed ashore from the Sea of Monsters. Hylla had welcomed them. She had helped Annabeth get cleaned up and given her a beautiful new dress and a complete makeover.-**

"It was weird." Percy said out loud, earning a glare from Annabeth and Athena.

"No. I didn't mean she was ugly, she looked good. _Really good,_ but it just wasn't her. She looks beautiful without it. She looks beautiful when she's covered in dirt and monster slime, and not many girls can pull that off."

That made Aphrodite coo and Thalia to laugh, "Nice one, Kelp Head."

Annabeth smiled at him and said, "Thanks. You look handsomer covered in grim and blood to."

"Aww, thanks Wise Girl."

They turned away from each other when the room became quiet.

"What?" They asked and several people shook their heads.

"You too are the weirdest couple I've _ever_ meet." Grover said.

"Thank you."

**Then Circe had made her sales pitch: if Annabeth stayed on the island, she could have magical training and incredible power. Annabeth had been tempted, maybe just a little, until she realized that this place was a trap, and Percy had been turned into a rodent.**

Silence greeted Chris's words and after a second, everyone busted out laughing, the gods laughing the loudest.

"Was he a cute rodent?" Thalia said, trying to keep a straight face.

"He made a cute Guinea Pig." Annabeth laugh, much to Percy's dismay.

It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down and Percy had his arms crossed and eyes narrowed with annoyance.

**(That last part seemed funny afterward; but at the time, it had been terrifying.)**

That made everyone chuckle and Thalia sighed happily, "It's still funny. Gods, if I saw that, I would have laughed _so_ hard."

"You have to admit Percy, it was funny afterwards." Annabeth poked his side and he sighed.

"Maybe for you it was." He complained and she kissed his cheek lightly and smirked, "Better?"

"Yes." He said.

**As for Reyna...she'd been one of the servants who had combed Annabeth's hair.**

"That's pretty cool though. Going from a hairdresser to a Roman leader of Rome." Travis said.

"Gods, Travis."

**"You..." Annabeth said in amazement. "And Hylla is queen of the Amazons? How did you two–?"**

"That is pretty cool though." Thalia admitted.

"You went from a pine tree, to a daughter of Zeus, to a Lieutenant. Now _that's _cool." Percy said and she smiled at him.

"Thanks. And you went from a scrawny loser to the Savior of Olympus."

"Your still a loser, Prissy." Clarisse smirked and Thalia smiled.

"Yep."

"Hey!" Percy yelled.

**"Long story," Reyna said. "But I remember you well. You were brave. I'd never seen anyone refuse Circe's hospitality, much less outwit her. It's no wonder Percy cares for you."**

"Someone's jealous." Travis sang and he was sacked by a pillow, courtesy of Thalia Grace.

"Shut it, Travis." Percy hissed.

**Her voice was wistful. Annabeth thought it might be safer not to respond.**

"Good choice." Percy muttered.

**They reached the top of the hell, where a terrace overlooked the entire valley.**

**"This is my favorite spot," Reyna said. "The Garden of Bacchus."**

"WHO?"

Annabeth sighed and said, "Mr. D."

"Oh."

**Grapevine trellises made a canopy overhead. Bees buzzed through honeysuckle and jasmine, which filled the afternoon air with a dizzying mix of perfumes. In the middle of the terrace stood a statue of Bacchus in a sort of ballet position, wearing nothing but a loincloth, his cheeks puffed out and lips pursed, spouting water into the fountain.**

Campers busted out laughing and the gods snickered at the angry look on the wine god's face.

"That describes you well, brother." Hermes said and Apollo fell to the floor, clutching his stomach.

**(AN: You know the Reading of the Book fanfictions I love? I love the ones where in the story, the character begins laughing because of the book their reading and you began laughing because their laughing. Did that make any sense?)**

Zeus and Hades were snickering and Chiron was trying to keep a straight face.

Mr. D's face was purple with rage and he yelled," How dare that do that to me!"

"Keep reading, before he makes all of us go crazy." Thalia said, trying to steady herself on the couch so she didn't fall over.

**She knew the god in his Greek form, Dionysus–or Mr. D, as they called him back at Camp Half-Blood. Seeing their cranky old camp director immortalized in stone, wearing a diaper and spewing water from his mouth, made her feel a little better.**

"It made all of us feel better, Annabeth." Apollo laughed, getting up off the floor.

**Reyna stopped at the edge of the terrace. The view was worth the climb. The whole city spread out below them like a 3-D mosaic. To the south, beyond the lake, a cluster of temples perched on a hill. To the north, an aqueduct marched toward the Berkeley Hills. Work crews were repairing a broken section, probably damaged in the recent battle.**

"That sucks." Clarisse said.

**"I wanted to hear it from you," Reyna said.**

Athena narrowed her grey eyes, "Hear _what_ from here?"

Chris chuckled and as Athena glared at him, he swallowed and continued reading.

**Annabeth turned. "Hear ****_what _****from me?"**

Several people chuckled.

**"The truth," Reyna said. "Convince me that I'm not making a mistake by trusting you. Tell me about yourself. Tell me about Camp Half-Blood. Your friend Piper has sorcery in her words. I spent enough time with Circe to know charmspeak when I hear it. I can't trust what she says. And Jason...well, he has changed. He seems distant, no longer quite Roman."**

"That sucks. Again." Clarisse said and Chris took her hand, remembering the time when he was insane and didn't remember Clarisse.

**The hurt in her voice was as sharp as broken glass.**

That made some people look down, feeling bad for the daughter of Bellona.

**Annabeth wondered if she had sounded that way, all the months she'd spent searching for Percy.**

That made _a lot_ more people look down, feeling bad for Annabeth.

"You did." Thalia answered and Annabeth rested her head against Percy shoulder.

Athena and Poseidon exchanged glances, feeling sorrowful for their children.

**At least she'd found her boyfriend.**

"Thank gods you did. I don't think I would've been able to stand it, if you haven't of found him." Malcolm said and a lot of the Athena cabin nodded.

"I know." Annabeth muttered.

**Reyna had no one.**

Aphrodite sighed sadly and said, "Maybe I could-"

"Lady Aphrodite. She's strong enough to take care of herself." Percy said and the love goddess sighed, but nodded in agreement.

**She was responsible for running an entire camp all by herself.**

"That would've happened if you haven't of found-"

"Can you _please_ stop mentioning me not finding Percy? It was hard enough having to live through that, I don't want to be reminded of what could've happened." Annabeth said and Malcolm gazed at his half-sister and said, "Sorry."

**Annabeth could sense that Reyna wanted Jason to love her. But he had disappeared, only to come back with a new girlfriend. **

Annabeth winced and Percy muttered, "I wouldn't."

He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. **(A/N: I understand what it's like to love someone, and have them come back and forget about you. It sucks, trust me. Typing this makes me feel sick to my stomach because it's hard to remember something like that, reading about it in every page.)**

**Meanwhile, Percy had risen to praetor, but he had rebuffed Reyna too.**

Percy winced and said, "I didn't mean to say it like that."

"I know, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth whispered.

**Now Annabeth had come to take him away. Reyna would be left alone again, shouldering a job meant for two people.**

"That must of been hard." Thalia said and Artemis nodded.

"It is, Thalia."

**When Annabeth had arrived at Camp Jupiter, she'd been prepared to negotiate with Reyna or even fight her if needed. She hadn't been prepared to feel sorry for her.**

Percy let out a sigh, "She wouldn't of liked that."

"She's a lot like Annabeth." Thalia realized and to her surprise, both Percy and Annabeth nodded.

Despite the mood, Travis broke into a grin and quirked, "They both have the same taste in men to."

Everyone turned and glared at him and he was smacked _really hard_ by Thalia and most of the Hunters.

"Idiot." Percy hissed.

**She kept that feeling hidden. Reyna didn't strike her as someone who would appreciate pity.**

"See."

**Instead, she told Reyna about her own life. She talked about her dad and stepmom and her two stepbrothers in San Francisco, and how she had felt like an outsider in her own family. She talked about how she had run away when she was seven, finding her friends Luke-**

The campers all winced when Luke was mentioned and Clarisse muttered, "Traitor."

Annabeth sent Clarisse a glare and Percy couldn't stop the sharp jealous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

**-and Thalia and making her way to Camp Half-Blood on Long Island. She described the camp and her years growing up there. She talked about meeting Percy and the adventures they'd had together.**

"The four quests and close calls with death?" Grover asked and Annabeth nodded.

**Reyna was a good listener.**

**Annabeth was tempted to tell her about more recent problems: her fight with her mom, the gift of the silver coin, and the nightmares she'd been having–about an old fear so paralyzing, she'd almost decided that she couldn't go on this quest. But she couldn't bring herself to open up quite that much.**

"What old fear?" Malcolm asked.

Annabeth shook her head and replied, "You'll find out later."

**When Annabeth was done talking, Reyna gazed over New Rome. Her metal greyhounds sniffed around the garden, snapping at bees in the honeysuckle. Finally Reyna pointed to the cluster of temples on the distant hill.**

"What's there? Fighting? Giants? Giants fighting?" Ares asked and Annabeth let out a sigh and

muttered, "Of course they wouldn't of left giants there."

**"The small red building," she said, "there on the northern side? That's the temple of my mother, Bellona." Reyna turned toward Annabeth. "Unlike your mother, Bellona has no Greek equivalent. She is fully, truly Roman. She's the goddess of protecting the homeland."**

**Annabeth said nothing. She knew very little about the Roman goddess. She wished she had studied up, but Latin never came as easily to her as Greek. Down below, the hull of the Argo II gleamed as it floated over the forum, like some massive bronze party balloon.**

"I want some bronze party balloons for my birthday." Travis whined and Chris closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.

"How are you related to me?" He muttered before opening his eyes to see Clarisse laughing at him.

"Shut up, Clarisse." He muttered before sending her a wide smile and continuing.

**"When the Romans go to war," Reyna continued, "we first visit the temple of Bellona. Inside is a symbolic patch of ground that represents enemy soil. We throw a spear into the ground, indicating that we are now at war. You see, Romans have always believed that offense is the best defense. In ancient times, whenever our ancestors felt threatened by their neighbors, they would invade to protect themselves."**

"That's...interesting..." Katie said.

**"They conquered everyone around them," Annabeth said. "Carthage, the Gauls–"**

"Who in Hades are the Guals? And what's-"

"Why do they use my name when they curse?" Hades grumbled and Poseidon shrugged, "I've heard my name used before. And Zeus's."

"So, mainly, the Big Three." The King god said and rolled his eyes and muttered, "Demigods."

**"And the Greeks." Reyna let that comment hang.**

The campers all growled and the gods glared at the book.

** "My point, Annabeth, is that it isn't Rome's nature to cooperate with other powers. Every time Greek and Roman demigods have met, we've fought. Conflicts between our two sides have started some of the most horrible wars in human history–especially civil wars."**

"Like the one Percy caused?" Connor asked, smirking at the sea god's son.

Percy protested, "I didn't cause it! I..._almost_ caused it."

Annabeth snorted and said, "Then you caused the Second Titan War."

"Technically, it wasn't my faul-"

"When you exploded Mount Saint Helens after we-er...after you exploded it, you caused an earthquake so powerful, it broke out Typhon."

"Still, it wasn't _all_ my fault." Percy pointed out.

The gods rolled their eyes and Poseidon laughed, "Percy, it kinda was."

"It's all your faults for not keeping your hands to yourself." Hera snapped and glared at the Big Three, who looked away, embarrassed.

**"It doesn't have to be that way," Annabeth said, "We've got to work together, or Gaea will destroy us both."**

**"I agree," Reyna said. "But is cooperation possible? What if Juno's plan is flawed? Even goddesses can make mistakes."**

"Trust me, they can." Thalia said, glaring at Hera.

**Annabeth waited for Reyna to get struck by lightning or turned into a peacock. **

**Nothing happened.**

**Unfortunately, Annabeth shared Reyna's doubts. Hera did make mistakes. Annabeth had had nothing but trouble from that overbearing goddess, and she'd never forgive Hera for taking Percy away, even if it was for a noble cause. **

The demigods nodded and Annabeth grabbed Percy's hand and interlaced their fingers together, much to Percy's surprise.

"Hey...it's okay Annabeth. It won't happen again." He muttered and she leaned against him, gripping his hand tighter.

**"I don't trust the goddess," Annabeth admitted.**

Several campers snorted and Thalia muttered, "Who would? After taking Percy away for 7 months, leaving no trace that he was alive."

** "But I do trust my friends. This isn't a trick, Reyna. We can work together." Reyna finished her cup of chocolate. She set the cup on the terrace railing and gazed over the valley as if imagining battle lines.**

"Gods, you two are similar." Grover said and Athena sighed.

"As much as I'd hate to compare my daughter to her, they are similar."

**"I believe you mean it," she said. "But if you go to the ancient lands, especially Rome itself, there is something you should know about your mother."**

Athena's shoulders tensed and she narrowed her eyes.

"What?" Malcolm asked.

**Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "My–my mother?"**

**"When I lived on Circe's island," Reyna said, "we had many visitors. Once, perhaps a year before you and Percy arrived, a young man washed ashore. He was half mad from thirst and heat. He'd been drifting at sea for days. His words didn't make much sense, but he said he was a son of Athena."**

"Was he a camper here?" Chiron asked, looking shocked.

Annabeth shook her head and answered, "I don't think so. I don't remember anyone disappearing from our cabin."

"Besides, I would've known about it." Mr. D said.

**Reyna paused as if waiting for a reaction. Annabeth had no idea who the boy might have been. She wasn't aware of any other Athena kids who had gone on a quest in the Sea of Monsters, but she still had a sense of dread. The light filtering through the grapevines made shadows writhe across the ground like a swarm of bugs.**

**"What happened to this demigod?" she asked.**

Athena swallowed and asked hesitantly, "Did he..."

Annabeth looked at her mother and answered, "Yes. I think so."

**Reyna waved her hand as if this question was trivial. "Circe turned him into a guinea pig, of course. He made quite a crazy little rodent. But before that, he kept raving about his failed quest. He claimed that he'd gone to Rome, following the Mark of Athena."**

"Don't follow the Mark of Athena." Athena pleaded.

**Annabeth grabbed the railing to keep her balance.**

"Don't fall!" The campers shouted and Annabeth snapped, "This already happened!"

"Oh..." They muttered.

**"Yes," Reyna said, seeing her discomfort. "He kept muttering about wisdom's child, the Mark of Athena, and the giants' bane standing pale and gold. The same lines Ella was just reciting. But you say that you've never heard them before today?"**

**"Not-not the way Ella said them." Annabeth's voice was weak. She wasn't lying. She'd never heard that prophecy, but her mother had charged her with following the Mark of Athena; and as she thought about the coin in her pocket, a horrible suspicion began taking root in her mind. She remembered her mother's scathing words. She thought about the strange nightmares she'd been having lately. "Did this demigod–did he explain his quest?"**

Everyone looked at Annabeth sadly, but she ignored their pitiful looks and kept her eyes on the book.

**Reyna shook her head. "At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about. Much later, when I became praetor of Camp Jupiter, I began to suspect."**

**"Suspect...what?"**

**"There is an old legend that the praetors of Camp Jupiter have passed down through the centuries. If it's true, it may explain why our two groups of demigods have never been able to work together. It may be the cause of our animosity. Until this old score is finally settled, so the legend goes, Romans and Greeks will never be at peace. And the legend centers on Athena–"**

**A shrill sound pierced the air.**

"What happened!" Poseidon and Athena yelled.

Annabeth muttered, "Stupid spirits."

**Light flashed in the corner of Annabeth's eye.**

The campers all sat at the edge of their seats...or edge of the floor, most of them gripping their siblings or boyfriends/girlfriends hands and the gods were staring at Chris, waiting for him to keep reading so they could know what happened.

Thalia gripped one of Annabeth's hand's and Grover put his hand on Percy's shoulder.

**She turned in time to see an explosion blast a new crater in the forum.**

**A burning couch tumbled through the air. Demigods scattered in panic.**

The demigods winced in sympathy, knowing what it was like to be under attack.

**"Giants?" Annabeth reached for her dagger, which of course wasn't there.**

"Where's your dagger?" Athena asked and Annabeth answered her, "Back on the ship."

That made the campers groan.

**"I thought their army was defeated!"**

**"It isn't the giants." Reyna's eyes seethed with rage. "You've betrayed our trust."**

"We would never!" The camper screamed and Chiron looked at Percy and Annabeth.

"What happened?"

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other and Percy sighed, "We can't tell you. Just listen."

**"What? No!"**

The gods looked furious and Athena snarled, "You'd better not touch them."

The parent's of the Seven, who were Greek, nodded and glared at the book.

**As soon as she said it, the Argo II launched a second volley. Its port ballista fired a massive spear wreathed in Greek fire, which sailed straight through the broken dome of the Senate House and exploded inside, lighting up the building like a jack-o'-lantern. If anyone had been in there...**

"They would have died." Chris muttered.

"Who's attacking them?" Clarisse asked and Annabeth shook her head.

"Read Chris!" Everyone screamed. **(A/N: When I'm typing an action scene, I start typing really fast. Weird huh?)**

**"Gods, no." A wave of nausea almost made Annabeth's knees buckle. "Reyna, it isn't possible. We'd never do this!"**

"We wouldn't." Pollux argued.

**The metal dogs ran to their mistress's side.**

"If you hurt her..." Thalia let the threat hang and her hands were sparking with blue lightning.

Percy and Annabeth said nothing, only glancing at each other briefly before Percy tightened his grip on her hand, locking their fingers together.

**They snarled at Annabeth but paced uncertainly, as if reluctant to attack.**

"Good." Athena nodded and said, "They know your telling the truth."

Though, her eyes were stormy and her nails were digging into her throne, making it splinter.

**"You're telling the truth," Reyna judged. "Perhaps you were not aware of this treachery, but ****_someone _****must pay."**

"But it's not the Greeks fault." Artemis argued and Hestia nodded.

"Who did it?" She looked at Percy, who, with a quickly glance at Annabeth, replied, "Gaea."

Everyone looked murderous, even Juniper and Chiron.

**Down in the forum, chaos was spreading. Crowds were pushing and shoving. Fistfights were breaking out.**

"YAY! LET'S FIGHT THEM, CLASSIC STYLE!"

Everyone looked at Ares, who was holding a silver baseball bat and then he cleared his throat and said, "I mean..."

"You do realize your son is in that fight." Percy snapped.

"I don't have a son of the quest-"

"Frank Zhang. Does that ring a bell?"

Ares' form shifted momentarily to his Roman form before he stayed as Ares and let out a snort.

"Fine, punk."

**"Bloodshed," Reyna said.**

**"We have to stop it!"**

**Annabeth had a horrible feeling this might be the last time Reyna and she ever acted in agreement, but together they ran down the hill. If weapons had been allowed in the city, Annabeth's friends would have already been dead.**

"They'd better not be." Poseidon growled.

**The Roman demigods in the forum had coalesced into an angry mob. Some threw plates, food, and rocks at the Argo II, which was pointless, as most of the stuff fell back into the crowd.**

"Not very smart." Percy muttered.

"No kidding. Who attacks a warship with food?" Chris said.

**Several dozen Romans had surrounded Piper and Jason, who were trying to calm them without much luck.**

"If they hurt Jason or Piper, I'll tear them to shreds." Lacy hissed, much to everyone surprise.

"I'm sure they'll be fine Lacy."

** Piper's charmspeak was useless against so many screaming, angry demigods. Jason's forehead was bleeding.**

Thalia looked worried until one of her Hunter friend gripped her other hand and she looked at them gratefully.

**His purple cloak had been ripped to shreds. He kept pleading, "I'm on your side!" but his orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt didn't help matters–nor did the warship overhead, firing flaming spears into New Rome. One landed nearby and blasted a toga shop to rubble.**

**"Pluto's pauldrons," Reyna cursed.**

Hades moved back in his throne and he said, looking offended, "Excuse me? What did she just say?"

**"Look."**

**Armed legionnaires were hurrying toward the forum. Two artillery crews had set up catapults just outside the Pomeranian Line and were preparing to fire at the Argo II.**

"No!"

**"That'll just make things worse," Annabeth said.**

**"I hate my job," Reyna growled. She rushed off toward the legionnaires, her dogs at her side.**

"I do to." Mr. D said and he was glared at by several gods and campers.

"Sorry."

**_Percy, _****Annabeth thought, scanning the forum desperately. ****_Where are you? _**

Poseidon looked very worried, and he had a murderous gleam in his sea-green eyes, a look similar to Percy's.

"If they hurt you or Annabeth, I will _personally _rip down their city using a Greek chariot and make them watch." Thalia snarled.

Several campers flinched at her words, she sounded _pissed._

**Two Romans tried to grab her.**

"Touch her and I'll tear off your arms and shove them down your throat." Percy growled under his breath, his eyes gleaming with anger.

Annabeth whispered in his ear, "I'm fine Percy. Nothing happened."

He relaxed slightly, but his eyes still looked angry.

**She ducked past them, plunging into the crowd. As if the angry Romans, burning couches, and exploding building weren't confusing enough, hundreds of purple ghosts drifted through the forum, passing straight through the demigods' bodies and wailing incoherently.**

"That's confusing."

"No kidding."

**The fauns had also taken advantage of the chaos. They swarmed the dining tables, grabbing food, plates, and cups. One trotted by Annabeth with his arms full of tacos and an entire pineapple between his teeth.**

Despite the situation, some of the gods and demigods managed to chuckle.

**A statue of Terminus exploded into being, right in front of Annabeth. He yelled at her in Latin, no doubt calling her a liar and a rule breaker; but she pushed the statue over and kept running.**

"You tell that stupid statue who's boss Annabeth!" Clarisse yelled and a cheer arose from the Ares cabin, chanting for the Seven.

Annabeth managed a smile and mouthed _Thank you_ to the daughter of Ares.

She nodded back to Annabeth.

**Finally she spotted Percy. He and his friends, Hazel and Frank, were standing in the middle of a fountain as Percy repelled the angry Romans with blasts of water.**

"Drown them! Drown them! Drown them!" The chant rose from the campers, while Chiron rolled his eyes at their behavior.

_Nobody_ should get _that_ into a book.

Even if it was about their leaders.

Percy rolled his eyes and said, "I didn't drown them."

"Aww!"

**Percy's toga was in tatters, but he looked unhurt.**

Poseidon let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank the gods."

Apollo then grinned and said, "Your welcome." **(I couldn't resist. :))**

Artemis grabbed her bow and smacked his hard with the end and Apollo rubbed his head, grumbling about having an annoying younger sister.

"We're twins, you idiot!" She yelled.

"Shut up!" The other gods yelled as Apollo opened his mouth to argue with her.

**Annabeth called to him as another explosion rocked the forum. This time the flash of light was directly overhead. One of the Roman catapults had fired, and the Argo II groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze-plated hull.**

Nyssa gritted her teeth together, as did the rest of the campers who helped build the Argo II.

**Annabeth noticed a figure clinging desperately to the rope ladder, trying to climb down.**

"Who is it? Is it someone we know?" Chiron asked but Percy shook his head and said, "No."

**It was Octavian, his robes steaming and his face black with soot.**

"Cut it! Cut it! Cut it! Cut it! Cut it!" Thalia and the Hunters chanted.

**Over by the fountain, Percy blasted the Roman mob with more water. Annabeth ran toward him, ducking a Roman fist and a flying plate of sandwiches.**

That was when Travis and Connor sighed, "I wish I could be hit by a flying plate of sandwiches. It would hurt but then you would get sandwiches after, so it's all better."

That made Percy and Annabeth roll their eyes.

**"Annabeth!" Percy called. "What–?"**

**"I don't know!" she yelled.**

**"I'll tell you what!" cried a voice from above. Octavian had reached the bottom of the ladder. "The Greeks have fired on us! Your boy Leo has his weapons trained on Rome!"**

The campers began screaming at the book and began getting up from their seats.

"SIT DOWN NOW!" Chiron and Percy order the campers. Percy stood up and glared at them, water curling around his fingers.

"Just wait and listen to the book. It wasn't Leo's fault, that's all you need to know. It wasn't the Romans fault either. Just shut up and listen to Chris."

The campers glanced at each other, most of them looked confused until Chiron said evenly, "Do as Percy says, children. We can discuss this when we know what has happened. It's much like a prophecy. You don't know what will happen until it unfolds to tell the truth."

Some campers looked somewhat relaxed to have been called _children, _andtheydid as they were told and settled down and all looked at Chris.

**Annabeth's chest filled with liquid hydrogen. She felt like she might shatter into a million frozen pieces.**

"Please don't." Athena said.

**"You're lying," she said. "Leo would never–"**

**"I was just there!" Octavian shrieked. "I saw it with my own eyes!"**

"Yeah! Only Percy would attack other people."

The Nike camper then was glared at by Percy and Annabeth.

"Just keep reading." Percy said, tearing his gaze away from the camper and to Chris.

**The Argo II returned fire. Legionnaires on the field scattered as one of their catapults was blasted to splinters.**

"Splinters hurt." Butch said and Connor nodded.

"I know right. But paper cuts hurt a lot worse, even though there so small."

Everyone looked at them and Katie said, "What in _Hades,_ sorry Lord Hades- but what are_ you talking about?"_

"Ugh...nothing. Continue."

**"You see?" Octavian screamed. "Romans, kill the invaders!"**

**Annabeth growled in frustration. There was no time for anyone to figure out the truth. The crew from Camp Half-Blood was outnumbered a hundred to one, and even if Octavian had managed to stage some sort of trick (which she thought likely), they'd never be able to convince the Romans before they were overrun and killed.**

**"We have to leave," she told Percy. "****_Now."_**

"Listen to her Percy." Poseidon said.

Percy let out a sigh, "Of course I listen to her."

**He nodded grimly. "Hazel, Frank, you've got to make a choice. Are you coming?"**

Hades paled and grimaced.

His daughter shouldn't have to go through this.

**Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. "Of course we are. But you'll never make it to the ship unless we buy you some time."**

**"How?"Annabeth asked.**

**Hazel whistled. Instantly a blur of beige shot across the forum. A majestic horse materialized next to the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on his back like she'd been born to ride. Strapped to the horse's saddle was a Roman cavalry sword.**

"That's Hazel. Hazel was born to ride Arion." Percy said.

"Who?"

"Arion. He's the fastest horse in the world."

"And he's your half-brother." Annabeth smirked at him and Percy groaned.

"Why do you have to remind me of things like that."

"Because I can, Seaweed Brain."

**Hazel unsheathed her golden blade.**

"Like Jason's?" Katie asked.

"Yeah, it's Imperial Gold." Percy told her.

** "Send me an Iris-message when you're safely away, and we'll rendezvous," she said. "Arion, ride!"**

"We can Iris-Message now?" Chris asked and Percy smiled.

"Yeah, but you have to say _Fleecy do me a solid_ or something like that, in order for it to work."

Poseidon smiled and said, "Fleecy? You meet Fleecy?"

"Yes, when I didn't have my memory and she decapitated your head."

Everyone stared at Percy and he said, "Ugh...never mind. Chris, just read."

**The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic.**

**Annabeth felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe they could make it out of here alive. Then, from halfway across the forum, she heard Jason shouting.**

"What's happening!"

**"Romans!" he cried. "Please!"**

"Don't you dare hurt him!"

**He and Piper were being pelted with plates and stones. Jason tried to shield Piper, but a brick caught him above the eye. He crumpled, and the crowd surged forward.**

Everyone winced in sympathy.

**"Get back!" Piper screamed. Her charmspeak rolled over the mob, making them hesitate, but Annabeth knew the effect wouldn't last. Percy and she couldn't possibly reach them in time to help.**

"Stop being pessimistic!"

"This book is going to kill me!"

**"Frank," Percy said, "it's up to you. Can you help them?"**

"What can Frank do?" Travis scoffed.

'A lot more than you." Percy muttered.

**Annabeth didn't understand how Frank could do that all by himself, but he swallowed nervously.**

**"Oh, gods," he murmured. "Okay, sure. Just get up the ropes. Now."**

Ares thought for a moment before he broke out into a grin and yelled, "Come on Frank!"

**Percy and Annabeth lunged for the ladder.**

"Come on. Come on." Was what most campers were muttering to themselves.

**Octavian was still clinging to the bottom, but Percy yanked him off and threw him into the mob.**

"YAY! Kick his butt Percy!"

Percy snorted but he smiled and said fondly, "You guys are crazy."

**They began to climb as armed legionnaires flooded into the forum. Arrows whistled past Annabeth's head.**

"They won't touch her head."

"They'd better not."

**An explosion almost knocked her off her ladder. Halfway up, she heard a roar below and glanced down.**

Travis then laughed and said, "What? Did Frank turn into a panda and is he trying to scare him with his cuteness."

His twin snickered and Thalia looked like she wanted to strangle them.

"Watch and learn." Percy said.

**Romans screamed and scattered as a full-sized dragon charged through the forum–a beast even scarier than the bronze dragon figurehead on the Argo II. It had rough gray skin like a Komodo lizard's and leathery bat wings. Arrows and rocks bounced harmlessly off its hide as it lumbered toward Piper and Jason, grabbed them with its front claws, and vaulted into the air.**

Travis's and Connor's faces fell and they stared, wide-eyed and jaws dropped at the book.

"No way."

**"Is that...?" Annabeth couldn't even put the thought into words.**

**"Frank," Percy confirmed, a few feet above her. "He has a few special talents."**

That's when Percy smirked and said, "You still want to try and make a move on his girlfriend?"

The both shook their heads hard and Annabeth chuckled at their expressions.

**"Understatement," Annabeth muttered. "Keep climbing!"**

**Without the dragon and Hazel's horse to distract the archers, they never would have made it up the ladder; but finally they climbed past a row of broken aerial oars and onto the deck. The rigging was on fire. The foresail was ripped down the middle, and the ship listed badly to starboard.**

"Ugh!" Most of the campers groaned.

"Now they're going to have to fix the ship!"

**There was no sign of Coach Hedge, but Leo stood amidships, calmly reloading the ballista. **

**Annabeth's gut twisted in horror.**

**"Leo!" she screamed. "What are you doing?"**

"Attacking the Romans."

**"Destroy them..." He faced Annabeth. His eyes were glazed. His movements were like a robot's. "Destroy them all."**

Athena narrowed her eyes, trying to think of what had made him like that.

**He turned back to the ballista, but Percy tackled him.**

Several people winced and Travis grimaced, "What fun. Destroying New Rome _and_ being tackled by _Percy Jackson_ on the same day?"

"It was the only way I could've stopped him from destroying New Rome."

** Leo's head hit the deck hard, and his eyes rolled up so that only the whites showed.**

That's when Percy winced and admitted, "Okay. Maybe I could've...dragged him down and not tackled him."

**The gray dragon soared into view. It circled the ship once and landed at the bow, depositing Jason and Piper, who both collapsed.**

Zeus and Aphrodite let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.

As did the rest of the campers.

**"Go!" Percy yelled. "Get us out of here!"**

**With a shock, Annabeth realized he was talking to her.**

"How is that shocking?" Katie asked and Annabeth showed a small smile.

"Percy doesn't listen to orders...at all. He pulls rank of the stubborn Captain Seaweed Brain, who had crazy plans and will thrown himself in front of anything to protect his friends. And the one with the bad ideas."

"Watch it, Annabeth." Percy warned. "And don't call me Captain Seaweed Brain. It's weird."

After a few second, he protested, "Hey! My ideas aren't bad!"

That made the campers chuckle.

**She ran for the helm. She made the mistake of glancing over the rail and saw armed legionnaires closing ranks in the forum, preparing flaming arrows. Hazel spurred Arion, and they raced out of the city with a mob chasing after them. More catapults were being wheeled into range. All along the Pomerian Line, the statues of Terminus were glowing purple, as if building up enough energy for some kind of attack.**

"Not good. Get out of there." Athena said.

**Annabeth looked over the controls. She cursed Leo for making them so complicated. No time for fancy maneuvers, but she did know one basic command: ****_Up._**

"When you flying a magic warship, that's all you need to know, sweetheart!" Apollo whopped.

Then Artemis, Athena and Percy glared at him.

"Do not call my/her daughter/girlfriend a _sweetheart!"_

"Okay...sorry." He said, shrinking down into his throne.

**She grabbed the aviation throttle and yanked it straight back. The ship groaned. The bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the Argo II shot into the clouds.**

Everyone let out a sigh and Percy muttered, "Finally."

The gods relaxed slightly, sitting back into their chairs and Chris let out a sigh and closed to book.

"Who wants to read next?"

"I will." Katie said and Chris handed her the book.

She opened the book and with a deep breath, said, "**Leo V**."

That's when Annabeth smiled, "Thank gods it's not my thoughts now."

"Now we get to know what Leo's thinking." Connor said, smirking.

Travis nudged Katie's foot with his own and said, "Come on, Katie. Read."

She rolled her eyes and began.

**Leo V**

**Like it? Review and I hope you have an awesome day. I might update sometime next week, maybe like...Thursday. I'm not sure yet. I love you all and keep being awesome. **

**-BlackConverse3 **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, sorry I took so long. I have a lot of projects and writer's block, which I get a lot...annoyingly. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Everything in bold goes to Rick. **

**Leo V**

**Leo wished he could invent a time machine.**

"So do I." Most of the campers chorused.

**He'd go back two hours and undo what had happened.**

"It wasn't your fault Leo." Annabeth said.

"Who's was it then?"

"We can't tell you."

**Either that, or he could invent a Slap-Leo-in-the-Face machine to punish himself, though he doubted it would hurt as badly as the look Annabeth was giving him.**

Several campers flinched in sympathy.

"I don't like your looks." Percy said and Annabeth glared at him.

"I don't give you looks."

That made the campers chuckle and Thalia laughed, "Annabeth, you give him looks every time he does something stupid. Which is a lot."

**"One more time," she said. "Exactly what happened?"**

"Yeah, what exactly happened?" Travis mocked but he was silenced as a pillow smacked him hard on the head.

**Leo slumped against the mast. His head still throbbed from hitting the deck.**

Percy winced and muttered, "Sorry Leo."

**All around him, his beautiful new ship was in shambles.**

Nyssa scowled and muttered, "At least he didn't set the ship on fire."

Harley, son of Hephaestus, smiled and said, "That would be funny."

"Err...I mean...that would suck." He said quickly as his sister and the rest of his siblings glared at him.

**The aft crossbows were piles of kindling. The foresail was tattered. The satellite array that powered the onboard internet and TV was blown to bits, which had really made Coach Hedge mad.**

Several campers snorted.

**Their bronze dragon figurehead, Festus, was coughing up smoke like he had a hairball, and Leo could tell from the groaning sounds on the port side that some of the aerial oars had been knocked out of alignment or broken off completely, which explained why the ship was listing and shuddering as it flew, the engine wheezing like an asthmatic steam train.**

Katie took a breath and said, "That was a long sentence."

Travis smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Shut it, Stoll."

**He choked back a sob. "I don't know. It's fuzzy."**

"Annabeth! Your making the poor boy cry." Demeter scolded.

Annabeth sighed and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Well, you should've been more nicer to him and-" The goddess started but Percy cut her off.

"Lay off of her Demeter. She was stressed out enough as it was."

The goddess glared at the son of Poseidon before huffing and nodding at her daughter to continue.

**Too many people were looking at him: Annabeth (Leo ****_hated _****to make her angry; that girl scared him), Coach Hedge with his furry goat legs, his orange polo shirt, and his baseball bat (did he have to carry that everywhere?), and the newcomer, Frank.**

"Don't worry Leo, Annabeth scares everyone. Except for maybe Thalia and Percy." Connor said.

"Where's Percy? You should've already started losing your temper." Thalia said, smiling faintly at her friend, while everyone else chuckled.

Percy glared at her and snapped, "Shut the hel-"

"Percy!" Annabeth whacked his arm and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"_Hades._" He corrected himself and then continued with a glance at his girlfriend, who happened to giving him a _look_.

"Up."

"Not going to happen, Kelp."

**Leo wasn't sure what to make of Frank. He looked like a baby sumo wrestler, though Leo wasn't stupid enough to say that aloud.**

"Percy is." Travis smirked and got some laughs from the campers and Hunters.

Percy said nothing, but his jaw tightened and Thalia glanced sideways at him.

She _knew_ it was getting on his nerves.

She was about to comfort him and apologize when Annabeth wrapped her arm around his waist and whispered in his ear, "You're not stupid. Your just a Seaweed Brain, Seaweed Brain."

The corner of his cheek twitched, showing the faint dimple on his left cheek and he nodded.

"Thanks."

**Leo's memory was hazy, but while he'd been half conscious, he was pretty sure he'd seen a dragon land on the ship–a dragon that had turned into Frank.**

Travis and Connor slumped back and muttered about how it was unfair.

"That's true. He can turn into animals." Percy muttered and several campers looked at him, surprised.

"You can breathe underwater and create hurricanes." Artemis reminded him and he shrugged.

"It would still be cool to have a power like that."

**(A/N: By the way, the gods are from when it was the Lost Hero and they already saved Hera.(sadly))**

**Annabeth crossed her arms. "You mean you don't remember?"**

"Gods Annabeth." Thalia said and she protested.

"What? I didn't do anything!"

"When you cross your arms, you seem like a parent scolding a 3-year old."

**"I..." Leo felt like he was trying to swallow a marble. "I remember, but it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."**

Several campers and gods scowled.

"Stupid Dirt Face." Thalia muttered.

"See, Leo didn't blow up New Rome."

**Coach Hedge tapped his bat against the deck. In his gym clothes, with his cap pulled over his horns, he looked just like he used to at the Wilderness School, where he'd spent a year undercover as Jason, Piper, and Leo's P.E. teacher.**

Connor and Travis exchanged looks, smiling widely.

"No." Katie said, when Connor opened his mouth to speak.

"Katieeee..." Travis complained and she smacked him hard with the book on his head.

"Ow!"

That was when Hades chuckled and smirked at Hermes, "Maybe it transferred some knowledge?"

The corner of Demeter's lips tugged up in a small smile but she turned her head and looked at Artemis.

**The way the old satyr was glowering, Leo almost wondered if the coach was going to order him to do push-ups.**

That made campers and the gods laugh.

"He should've. That would've been funny." Annabeth said and Percy chuckled.

"It would've."

"Where are you Percy?" Chris asked.

"Oh, I think I'm helping with Jason." He replied.

**"Look, kid," Hedge said, "you blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans. Awesome!-**

Several people snorted.

"No. Not awesome." Zeus said. "Now the Romans will hate you."

**-Excellent!-**

"You're a lost cause." Zeus said and Chiron shrugged.

"I need someone to keep an eye on them."

"You didn't have anyone there to keep any eye on us when we were 12 and we went on a quest." Percy pointed out.

"That's true. But I didn't even know if they would find you or if you had your memory. And you have a tendency to sneak off, which apparently you did."

Percy snorted, "I only snuck out because-"

Annabeth elbowed him in the ribs and whispered, "Don't tell them, Percy. They'll find out later."

"What happened?" Campers asked.

"Nothing." Percy answered.

"And besides. Your girlfriend was there and you haven't seen her in 7 months. I didn't know what you would do." Chiron added.

Poseidon and Athena glanced at each other.

"What would we have-Oh...that explains why Hazel looked mad at me." Percy whispered the last part to Annabeth, who turned faintly pink and muttered, "Shut up."

**-But did you have to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match."**

"Wow. Really?" Juniper said.

Grover sighed, "Again. He's out there."

"**Coach," Annabeth said, "why don't you make sure all the fires are out?"**

"Yeah Coach."

"**But I already did that."**

"Do it again." Athena snapped.

"**Do it again."**

Athena and Annabeth smiled at each other.

"Wow, now we have two know-it-alls." Poseidon said.

Athena glared at the sea god while Annabeth glared at Percy, who was trying not to laugh and failing.

**The satyr trudged off, muttering under his breath. Even Hedge wasn't crazy enough to defy Annabeth.**

"No one's crazy enough to defy Annabeth." Percy said, smiling.

"Except for you." Annabeth pointed out and he chuckled.

"I'm completely different."

"Yeah, you are." She said and then she leaned over to him and kissed him.

It was short and sweet, but it made a lot of the campers smile, even Athena looked between being annoyed and amused.

Annabeth leaned against him, rested her chin on top of his broad shoulder.

**She knelt next to Leo. Her gray eyes were as steely as ball bearings. Her blond hair fell loose around her shoulders, but Leo didn't find that attractive.**

Campers began protesting, Percy being the loudest.

"She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen! She prettier than Aphrodite!" Percy protested.

The love goddess glared at him and then sighed, "I'm not going to incinerate you because you're so handsome and Annabeth would be devastated."

Drew was scowling at Annabeth, who was blushing lightly at what Percy said.

"Thanks, Seaweed Brain."

**He had no idea where the stereotype of dumb giggly blondes came from.**

Everyone looked at Athena, who shrugged.

"I don't know where either."

"Athena doesn't know something? The world is ending!" Apollo yelled.

Hermes snickered along with Ares as Athena glared at all three of them.

Artemis smacked her twin brother on the back of the head and Hestia rolled her eyes at Ares.

**Ever since he'd met Annabeth at the Grand Canyon last winter, when she'd marched toward him with that Give me Percy Jackson or I'll kill you expression, Leo thought of blondes as much too smart and much too dangerous.**

Thalia and Grover busted out laughing, along with a lot of the senior campers.

"You did have that expression." Chris said.

Annabeth crossed her arms and Percy slung his arm around her shoulder, laughing lightly.

"Stop laughing at me. I'm going to kick your butt."

She tried to sound threatening, but Percy just grinned at her and kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, you will."

"**Leo," she said calmly, "did Octavian trick you somehow? Did he frame you, or—"**

"Please?"

"**No." Leo could have lied and blamed that stupid Roman, but he didn't want to make a bad situation worse.**

The gods all nodded and Artemis agreed, "That would make things worse."

"**The guy was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the camp. I did."**

"He is a jerk." Percy growled.

"Seems like it." One of the Hunters agreed with him.

**The new kid, Frank, scowled. "On purpose?"**

"Of course not!" The campers snarled.

"It wasn't Frank's fault. Anyone would be mad if someone attacked their home." Percy defended the son of Mars.

Then, a son of Ares, who was about 15, turned and growled, "Why're you defending that Roman?"

Percy's eyes narrowed and he snapped back, "Because he's my friend. And he didn't mean to say it like tha-"

"Whatever, pretty boy. You don't even care about us. If you want to stay at the _Roman _camp, go ahead."

Annabeth paled and muttered, "You did not just say that."

Everyone watched as Percy stared at the camper, his shoulders were tensed and his sea-green eyes were dark with rage.

Instead of getting angry at the camper, he ignored the camper and turned his attention to Katie.

"Read." His voice was tightly controlled and Katie glared at the Ares camper, before continuing.

"**No!" Leo squeezed his eyes shut. "Well, yes … I mean, I didn't want to. But at the same time, I felt like I wanted to. Something was making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside me—"**

Everyone glance at Annabeth, remembering the line in the first chapter.

"**A cold feeling." Annabeth's tone changed. She sounded almost … scared.**

"**Yeah," Leo said. "Why?"**

"Oh, I don't know Leo? Maybe because she felt a cold feeling earlier?" Thalia said.

"But Leo doesn't know that." Harley pointed out, only to be glared at by the Hunter.

"Sorry Pinecone Fa-"

'DON'T CALL ME THAT!" She yelled and he shrunk back into his siblings.

"Sorry." He squeaked.

"Yeah, Harley. Only Percy can call her that." Connor smirked, glancing at Percy, hoping to have cheered him up.

Percy was just staring at the ground, deep in thought.

**From below decks, Percy called up, "Annabeth, we need you."**

"Gods, please have nothing have happened to Jason." Thalia whispered.

Annabeth grabbed her hand.

"He'll be fine." She whispered.

**Oh, gods, Leo thought. Please let Jason be okay.**

"He'd better." Zeus growled.

Hera scowled at her husband but remained silent.

**As soon as they'd gotten on board, Piper had taken Jason below. The cut on his head had looked pretty bad. Leo had known Jason longer than anyone at Camp Half-Blood.**

"What about Piper?"

"Just shut up, Will."

The son of Apollo grinned at Nyssa.

**They were best friends. If Jason didn't make it …**

"**He'll be fine." Annabeth's expression softened. "Frank, I'll be back. Just…watch Leo. Please."**

**Frank nodded.**

"What you don't trust Leo?" Nyssa said, looking slightly annoyed.

"It's not like that Nyssa. Percy seemed to trust him-" Annabeth began but she was cut off by Chiron.

"So she trusted Percy's judgment that Frank was okay."

The daughter of Athena nodded.

**If it was possible for Leo to feel worse, he did. Annabeth now trusted a Roman demigod she'd known for like, three seconds, more than she trusted Leo.**

Annabeth shook her head and Thalia rolled her eyes.

**Once she was gone, Leo and Frank stared at each other.**

Travis chuckled.

"That's not going to end well."

"It's like the rivalry over Annabeth between Luke and Per-"

Connor felt silent as Annabeth, Percy, Grover and Thalia glared at him.

"Sorry." Connor apologized.

Athena scowled, "I'd rather have my daughter dating the sea spawn."

Percy rolled his eye and muttered, "Thanks, Athena."

**The big dude looked pretty odd in his bed sheet toga, with his gray pullover hoodie and jeans, and a bow and quiver from the ship's armory slung over his shoulder. Leo remembered the time he had met the Hunters of Artemis—a bunch of cute lithe girls in silvery clothes, all armed with bows.**

The Hunters glared at the book, while Thalia just rolled her eyes.

Artemis scowled and snapped at the Blacksmithing god.

"If he goes near my Hunters, I will turn him into a jackrabbit."

The god nodded and glanced at Apollo, who looked like he was trying hard not to laugh.

**He imagined Frank frolicking along with them. The idea was so ridiculous, it almost made him feel better.**

That made some campers chuckle.

"That would be ridiculous." Annabeth laughed.

"**So," Frank said. "Your name isn't Sammy?"**

'What kind of question is that?" Katie asked, putting down the book and looking at Percy and Annabeth.

Annabeth looked at Percy and asked, "Yeah, what does it mean?"

Percy let out a sigh and said, "It's hard to explain. It should explain in the book and if it doesn't, I'll explain it to you."

**Leo scowled. "What kind of question is that?"**

"**Nothing," Frank said quickly. "I just— Nothing. About the firing on the camp … Octavian could be behind it, like magically or something. He didn't want the Romans getting along with you guys."**

"I wish you were right, Frank."

**Leo wanted to believe that. He was grateful to this kid for not hating him. But he knew it hadn't been Octavian. Leo had walked to a ballista and started firing. Part of him had known it was wrong. He'd asked himself: What the heck am I doing? But he'd done it anyway.**

"You sound like Percy." Travis groaned.

Percy glared at the son of Hermes, who smiled apologetically back at him.

**Maybe he was going crazy. The stress of all those months working on the Argo II might've finally made him crack.**

"He did work really hard." Nyssa said and several campers nodded.

"That's true."

**But he couldn't think about that. He needed to do something productive. His hands needed to be busy.**

"Like most of your siblings." Travis pointed out, nodding to Harley, who was fiddling with a switchblade and carving a piece of wood.

"**Look," he said, "I should talk to Festus and get a damage report. You mind …?"**

"Yes."

**Frank helped him up. "Who is Festus?"**

"**My friend," Leo said. "His name isn't Sammy either, in case you're wondering. Come on. I'll introduce you."**

"Introduce a dragon to another dragon?"

Will and Katie rolled their eyes at Connor.

"Gods, Connor."

**Fortunately the bronze dragon wasn't damaged. Well, aside from the fact that last winter he'd lost everything except his head—but Leo didn't count that.**

That made the campers snort.

"How is that not damaged?"

"At least he still has the head."

**When they reached the bow of the ship, the figurehead turned a hundred and eighty degrees to look at them. Frank yelped and backed away.**

Several campers blushed, remembering they had done the same thing.

"It's not that scary." Percy said and Annabeth smacked him in the arm.

"That's because you have a pet hellhound, Seaweed Brain."

He rolled his eyes at her, causing her to glare at him.

"Aww, their flirting." Aphrodite cooed, causing the couple to snap at her.

"WE ARE NOT FLIRTING!"

"**It's alive!" he said.**

"Really? I had no idea." Travis said dryly.

**Leo would have laughed if he hadn't felt so bad. "Yeah. Frank, this is Festus. He used to be a full bronze dragon, but we had an accident."**

That made several people snort.

"**You have a lot of accidents," Frank noted.**

"Wow Frank." Thalia said.

"Of course he has a lot of accidents. He's_ Leo_."

"And that's _Percy. _Who do you think is worse?" Connor said, trying not to laugh.

Percy rolled his eyes and Katie smirked and said, "I would have to go with _Percy." _

"Hey!" He protested.

"You started the Titan War." She pointed out.

He opened his mouth to argue with her but Annabeth put her hand over his mouth and said, "He knows. Continue Katie."

"**Well, some of us can't turn into dragons, so we have to build our own."**

Will raised his eyebrow and said, "Well, technically, he didn't build Fetus. Bek-"

"We know!" The campers snapped.

**Leo arched his eyebrows at Frank. "Anyway, I revived him as a figurehead. He's kind of the ship's main interface now. How are things looking, Festus?"**

That made Thalia snort.

"Yeah, because talking to a dragon head is _so _normal, don't you even speak Percy." She said as Percy opened his mouth.  
**Festus snorted smoke and made a series of squeaking, whirring sounds. Over the last few months, Leo had learned to interpret this machine language. Other demigods could understand Latin and Greek. Leo could speak Creak and Squeak.**

Campers and the gods laughed.

"Wow, your son's funny, Hep." Apollo said.

"**Ugh," Leo said. "Could be worse, but the hull is compromised in several places. The port aerial oars have to be fixed before we can go full speed again. We'll need some repair materials: Celestial bronze, tar, lime—"**

"What do you need limes for?" Will asked and the Hephaestus cabin rolled their eyes.

"**What do you need limes for?"**

"Wow." Katie said, laughing to herself as Will scowled.

"**Dude, lime. Calcium carbonate, used in cement and a bunch of other— Ah, never mind. The point is, this ship isn't going far unless we can fix it."**

"Obviously."

**Festus made another click-creak noise that Leo didn't recognize. It sounded like AY-zuhl.**

Travis raised his eyebrow.

"What's AY-zuhl?"

Percy rolled his eyes and said, "What does it sound like?"

Travis thought for a moment and piped up, "Israel?"

Several campers and gods groaned and Percy said, "Hazel. Fetus was saying Hazel."

"Oh. Cute jewel girl?"

Hades glared at the son of Hermes, who seemed oblivious to it.

"Yeah, sure."

"**Oh … Hazel," he deciphered. "That's the girl with the curly hair, right?"**

"No." Nyssa said sarcastically.

**Frank gulped. "Is she okay?"**

"**Yeah, she's fine," Leo said. "According to Festus, her horse is racing along below. She's following us."**

"Thank gods." Hades muttered, earning a small smile from the demigods.

"**We've got to land, then," Frank said.**

**Leo studied him. "She's your girlfriend?"**

**Frank chewed his lip. "Yes."**

"**You don't sound sure."**

"He is." Ares said, sounding slightly annoyed that Repair boy seemed to making a move on his son's girl.

"Wow, who knew he had a heart." Apollo muttered to Hermes, who nodded.

"I heard that!" Ares snarled.

"**Yes. Yes, definitely. I'm sure."**

**Leo raised his hands. "Okay, fine. The problem is we can only manage one landing. The way the hull and the oars are, we won't be able to lift off again until we repair, so we'll have to make sure we land somewhere with all the right supplies."**

"That sucks."

**Frank scratched his head. "Where do you get Celestial bronze? You can't just stock up at Home Depot."**

The Hunters and Campers busted out laughing.

"Oh gods, if he went to Home Depot and asked for Celestial bronze." Connor said.

"That would be hilarious." Chris agreed.

"**Festus, do a scan."**

Most of the campers and gods looked impressed.

"Fetus can do that?"

'Apparently."

"**He can scan for magic bronze?" Frank marveled. "Is there anything he can't do?"**

"He can't fly because he doesn't have a body." Travis pointed out.

He was smacked hard with a pillow.

**Leo thought: You should've seen him when he had a body. But he didn't say that. It was too painful, remembering the way Festus used to be. Leo peered over the ship's bow. The Central California valley was passing below. Leo didn't hold out much hope that they could find what they needed all in one place, but they had to try. Leo also wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and New Rome. The Argo II could cover vast distances pretty quickly, thanks to its magical engine, but Leo figured the Romans had magic travel methods of their own.**

Several Hephaestus campers looked sad.

**Behind him, the stairs creaked. Percy and Annabeth climbed up, their faces grim.**  
Everyone held their breaths.

"Is Jason-" Thalia began but was cut off by Katie.

**Leo's heart stumbled. "Is Jason—?"**

No one said anything.

"**He's resting," Annabeth said. "Piper's keeping an eye on him, but he should be fine."**

Thalia let out a sigh of relief and Annabeth squeezed her hand, smiling at her.

**Percy gave him a hard look.**

"Watch, Percy's going to lose his temper." Katie said.

Percy said nothing, knowing they were right.

Annabeth bit her lip to keep her from laughing at her boyfriend, who let out a sigh and muttered, "My temper's not _that _bad."

"It is Seaweed Brain." She whispered in his ear and he rolled his eyes but gave her his lopsided cheeky smile.

** "Annabeth says you did fire the ballista?"**

"**Man, I—I don't understand how it happened. I'm so sorry—"**

"Percy, don't make the poor boy scared." Thalia whispered to him, in a mocking tone of Demeter's.

The four friends laughed and Percy shook his head, smiling.

"**Sorry?" Percy growled.**

"Percy, when your mad, you're terrifying." Travis said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

**Annabeth put a hand on her boyfriend's chest.**

"Bet you liked that Annie." Connor smirked.

Annabeth glared at the two laughing brothers, through she was blushing.

"I did it so he wouldn't attack Leo!"

"Sure..."

**"We'll figure it out later. Right now, we have to regroup and make a plan. What's the situation with the ship?"**

**Leo's legs trembled. The way Percy had looked at him made him feel the same as when Jason**

**summoned lightning.**

"Just remember to duck Leo." Chris said.

"Shut up, you guys." Percy complained, earning smiles from most of the campers.

"Nope, never going to happen." Thalia said, smiling at her cousin.

"Wow, your glares must be pretty scary then."

**Leo's skin tingled, and every instinct in his body screamed, ****_Duck!_**

"You might just have to." Annabeth said, earning a groan from Percy.

"Now your joining in to?"

She smirked and said, "I'm never going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain." She kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "Besides, it's fun."

When she moved away, Percy was rolling his eyes and muttering something under his breath about Annabeth being crazy.

**He told Annabeth about the damage and the supplies they needed. At least he felt better talking about something fixable.**

"Like your love for Travis?" Connor asked Katie.

"Shut up, Connor!"

**He was bemoaning the shortage of Celestial bronze when Festus began to whir and squeak.**

"**Perfect." Leo sighed with relief.**

Artemis scowled, "_Perfect?_ What could be perfect about a damaged ship and Percy being mad at you?"

"Are you going to keep doing that?" Percy whined and the goddess smiled at him.

"It's quite enjoyable."

"**What's perfect?" Annabeth said. "I could use some perfect about now."**

"Yeah. What she said." Apollo said.

**Leo managed a smile. "Everything we need in one place. Frank, why don't you turn into a bird or something? Fly down and tell your girlfriend to meet us at the Great Salt Lake in Utah."**

"Yeah Frank."

**Once they got there, it wasn't a pretty landing. With the oars damaged and the foresail torn, Leo could barely manage a controlled descent. The others strapped themselves in below—except for Coach Hedge, who insisted on clinging to the forward rail, yelling, "YEAH! Bring it on, lake!"**

Grover and most of the campers snorted.

"Gods."

**Leo stood astern, alone at the helm, and aimed as best he could.**

**Festus creaked and whirred warning signals, which were relayed through the intercom to the quarterdeck.**

"**I know, I know," Leo said, gritting his teeth. He didn't have much time to take in the scenery. To the southeast, a city was nestled in the foothills of a mountain range, blue and purple in the afternoon shadows. A flat desert landscape spread to the south. Directly beneath them the Great Salt Lake glittered like aluminum foil, the shoreline etched with white salt marshes that reminded Leo of aerial photos of Mars.**

"I look like white salt marshes?" Ares asked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and answered, "No. Mars as in the planet?"

"Oh...I mean-I knew that." Ares said, puffing out his chest.

That made Hermes and Apollo snort with laughter.

"**Hang on, Coach!" he shouted. "This is going to hurt."**

Percy laughed, "He was born for hurt."

Katie laughed and at Percy's confused look, she continued.

"**I was born for hurt!"**

"Wow. I think like Coach." Percy looked disturbed.

Grover huffed and punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up Perce."

**WHOOM! A swell of salt water washed over the bow, dousing Coach Hedge. The Argo II listed dangerously to starboard, then righted itself and rocked on the surface of the lake. Machinery hummed as the aerial blades that were still working changed to nautical form. Three banks of robotic oars dipped into the water and began moving them forward.**

"Cool."

"**Good job, Festus," Leo said. "Take us toward the south shore."**

"**Yeah!" Coach Hedge pumped his fists in the air. He was drenched from his horns to hooves, but grinning like a crazy goat. "Do it again!"**

"Umm...maybe later." Thalia said.

"**Uh … maybe later," Leo said.**

While the Hunter groaned, the campers snickered with amusement.

"I'd rather think like Percy."

Percy leaned over Annabeth and punched her in the shoulder.

"Shut up Thals!"

**"Just stay above deck, okay? You can keep watch, in case—you know, the lake decides to attack us or something."**

"I don't think your luck is _that bad._" Apollo said.

Percy shrugged, "It's debatable."

"**On it," Hedge promised.**

**Leo rang the All clear bell and headed for the stairs. Before he got there, a loud clump-clump-clump shook the hull. A tan stallion appeared on deck with Hazel Levesque on his back.**

Travis and Connor cheered, "Yeah! AY- zuhl's back!"

Several campers rolled their eyes at the brothers.

"**How—?" Leo's question died in his throat. "We're in the middle of a lake! Can that thing fly?"**

"No, but it can run up glaciers and water." Percy said.

"You can run on water." Chris said.

Several campers cheered and Will clapped Percy on the back, "Remember the Titan War?"

Percy smiled as Grover's eyes brightened and he said, "That was amazing Percy."

"It was nothing."

"Are you kidding me? You were all like, _come here sun boy_ and then you made a _freaking hurricane _and you slammed into concrete and _got up_ like it was _nothing!" _

Percy rolled his eyes at his best friend and Annabeth squeezed his waist lightly.

**The horse whinnied angrily.**

"**Arion can't fly," Hazel said. "But he can run across just about anything. Water, vertical surfaces, small mountains—none of that bothers him."**

"Cool!"

"**Oh."**

"Nice comeback." Thalia said.

"Yeah, just like Percy."

"Will you two ever _shut up?" _Percy snapped.

The Stolls looked at each other and then grinned, shaking their heads.

**Hazel was looking at him strangely, the way she had during the feast in the forum—like she was searching for something in his face. He was tempted to ask if they had met before, but he was sure they hadn't. He would remember a pretty girl paying such close attention to him. That didn't happen a lot. She's Frank's girlfriend, he reminded himself.**

"Good."

**Frank was still below, but Leo almost wished the big guy would come up the stairs. The way Hazel was studying Leo made him feel uneasy and self-conscious.**

"Of course she does. Her eyes are gold. Wait, so if I take out her eyeballs, I could sell them and get money?"

Hades turned to Hermes and said bluntly, "Your kids are annoying."

Hermes shrugged.

"Your son's more annoying."

**Coach Hedge crept forward with his baseball bat, eyeing the magic horse suspiciously. "Valdez, does this count as an invasion?"**

"No, of course not." Thalia said, shaking her head.

"**No!" Leo said. "Um, Hazel, you'd better come with me. I built a stable below decks, if Arion wants to—"**

"They're more of free spirits." Percy and Poseidon said at the same time.

"Wow. That was creepy." Travis whispered to Katie, who smacked him on the arm.

"**He's more of a free spirit." Hazel slipped out of the saddle. "He'll graze around the lake until I call him. But I want to see the ship. Lead the way."**

**The Argo II was designed like an ancient trireme, only twice as big. The first deck had one central corridor with crew cabins on either side. On a normal trireme, most of the space would've been taken up with three rows of benches for a few hundred sweaty guys to do the manual labor, but Leo's oars were automated and retractable, so they took up very little room inside the hull.**

"Gods. Imagine if we had to row the boat?" Annabeth said.

Percy shrugged, "I could've controlled it."

**The ship's power came from the engine room on the second and lowest deck, which also housed sickbay, storage, and the stables. Leo led the way down the hall. He'd built the ship with eight cabins—seven for the demigods of the prophecy, and a room for Coach Hedge (Seriously—Chiron considered him a responsible adult chaperone?).**

Everyone looked at Chiron, who looked embarrassed.

"Okay, I admit maybe he wasn't the best choice." Chiron said.

**At the stern was a large mess hall/lounge, which was where Leo headed.**

**On the way, they passed Jason's room. The door was open. Piper sat at the side of his berth, holding Jason's hand while he snored with an ice pack on his head. Piper glanced at Leo. She held a finger to her lips for quiet, but she didn't look angry. That was something. Leo tried to force down his guilt, and they kept walking. When they reached the mess hall, they found the others—Percy, Annabeth, and Frank—sitting dejectedly around the dining table.**

"Wow. I wonder why." Percy said sarcastically and Annabeth laughed.

"Gods, Percy. You are so annoying."

"I know." He said, kissing her on the top of her head.

**Leo had made the lounge as nice as possible, since he figured they'd be spending a lot of time there. The cupboard was lined with magic cups and plates from Camp Half-Blood, which would fill up with whatever food or drink you wanted on command.**

Campers and Hunters all smiled.

"Love those cups. And the plates." Travis said.

"I love Camp Half-Blood." Percy muttered.

**There was also a magical ice chest with canned drinks, perfect for picnics ashore. The chairs were cushy recliners with thousand-finger massage, built-in headphones, and sword and drink holders for all your demigod kicking-back needs.**

"Really? Sword holders?"

**There were no windows, but the walls were enchanted to show real-time footage from Camp Half-Blood—the beach, the forest, the strawberry fields—although now Leo was wondering if this made people homesick rather than happy.**

"Both." Percy said and Grover smiled at his friend.

'We missed you to, Perce."

The son of Poseidon smiled at his best friend.

**Percy was staring longingly at a sunset view of Half-Blood Hill, where the Golden Fleece glittered in the branches of the tall pine tree.**

Percy turned and gazed out of the windows, smelling the sweet scent of the strawberry fields.

Annabeth squeezed his knee and said, "At least your home now."

"We have to go back don't we? After we're done reading this book?" Percy asked and she closed her eyes and let out a sigh as Percy wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah. We do."

They gazed at each other for a moment before Percy rested his cheek against her head and muttered, "At least we're together now."

The campers, gods and Hunters tried their best not to intrude in the couples _moment_ and Katie continued reading.

"**So we've landed," Percy said. "What now?"**

"Fix the ship." Connor said meekly.

**Frank plucked on his bowstring. "Figure out the prophecy? I mean … that was a prophecy Ella spoke, right? From the Sibylline Books?"**

"The what?"

"It's like a prophecy book."

"**The what?" Leo asked.**

**Frank explained how their harpy friend was freakishly good at memorizing books. At some point in the past, she'd inhaled a collection of ancient prophecies that had supposedly been destroyed around the fall of Rome.**

"**That's why you didn't tell the Romans," Leo guessed. "You didn't want them to get hold of her."**

"Of course not." Percy muttered.

**Percy kept staring at the image of Half-Blood Hill. "Ella's sensitive. She was a captive when we found her. I just didn't want …" He made a fist.**

Athena let out a sigh, "Your fatal flaw is going to get you kill one day, Percy."

"Yeah, I know." Percy replied as Annabeth felt pain shot through her body.

_What if Percy died one day because of his fatal flaw? What if he died in Tarturas because of her? Gods, Annabeth, just shut up._

Annabeth scolded herself in her head and Percy whispered, "Are you okay?"

She nodded to him but gripped his hand tighter.

**"It doesn't matter now. I sent Tyson an Iris-message, told him to take Ella to Camp Half-Blood. They'll be safe there."**

"Of course they will!" The campers shouted, grinning happily at each other.

**Leo doubted that any of them would be safe, now that he had stirred up a camp of angry Romans on top of the problems they already had with Gaea and the giants; but he kept quiet.**

"Yeah, it's simple." Travis said, waving his hand.

He got glared from Annabeth and Percy.

"Oh...sorry."

**Annabeth laced her fingers.**

Aphrodite perked up, "Through Percy's?"

The couple groaned and Percy said, looking annoyed, "Are you going to do that _every single time_?"

"Of course I am, dear."

**"Let me think about the prophecy—but right now we have more immediate problems. We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need?"**

"Well, Limes and Oranges-"

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to stab you." Katie threatened.

Connor gulped and nodded quickly.

"**The easiest thing is tar." Leo was glad to change the subject. "We can get that in the city, at a roofing-supply store or someplace like that. Also, Celestial bronze and lime. According to Festus, we can find both of those on an island in the lake, just west of here."**

"**We'll have to hurry," Hazel warned. "If I know Octavian, he's searching for us with his auguries. The Romans will send a strike force after us. It's a matter of honor."**

The gods nodded.

"It is."

**Leo felt everyone's eyes on him. "Guys … I don't know what happened. Honestly, I—"**

"It wasn't your fault."

**Annabeth raised her hand. "We've been talking. We agree it couldn't have been you, Leo. That cold feeling you mentioned … I felt it too. It must have been some sort of magic, either Octavian or Gaea or one of her minions. But until we understand what happened —"**

**Frank grunted. "How can we be sure it won't happen again?"**

"We can't." Annabeth said, glancing at Percy, who was rubbing the back of his head.

**Leo's fingers heated up like they were about to catch fire. One of his powers as a son of Hephaestus was that he could summon flames at will; but he had to be careful not to do so by accident, especially on a ship filled with explosives and flammable supplies.**

"No. Do it." Travis said, grinning widely.

"You're crazy." Katie told him.

"Yeah, I know."

"**I'm fine now," he insisted, though he wished he could be sure. "Maybe we should use the buddy system. Nobody goes anywhere alone. We can leave Piper and Coach Hedge on board with Jason. Send one team into town to get tar. Another team can go after the bronze and the lime."**

"Good plan."

"Isn't the buddy system from like...1st grade?" Katie asked.

Percy shrugged, "I don't know. I guess."

"How could you not know?" Connor asked.

Percy rolled his sea-green eyes and said, "I got kicked out before I found out what it was."

"Oh yeah. You've been kicked out of 9 to 10 schools."

Chris shook his head and said, "I still don't understand how you're not a son of Hermes."

Annabeth answered him, "Percy doesn't do pranks, you know...a lot. And he's more of a rebel. It comes naturally to him."

"Wow, thanks Wise Girl." Percy mumbled, making her smile.

"**Split up?" Percy said. "That sounds like a really bad idea."**

"YOU TWO ARE BREAKING UP! WHY! ARE YOU CRAZY!" Travis yelled, looking at Percy and Annabeth.

They both looked at each other and Annabeth said, "We won't break up."

"You don't have to worry about that." Percy added and Clarisse mimicked gagging, while Chris just laughed.

"Shut up, Clarrise." Percy snapped.

"Whatever Prissy." She said, rolling her eyes.

Though, she was secretly happy for them, because after everything those two have been through, they need each other and we meant to be together.

_Wow, Silena would so being going crazy right now._

"**It'll be quicker," Hazel put in. "Besides, there's a reason a quest is usually limited to three demigods, right?"**

"How does she know that?" Lou asked.

Hestia answered her, "There are some similarities to Greeks and Romans."

**Annabeth raised her eyebrows, as if reappraising Hazel's merits.**

"**You're right. The same reason we needed the Argo II … outside camp, seven demigods in one place will attract way too much monstrous attention. The ship is designed to conceal and protect us. We should be safe enough on board; but if we go on expeditions, we shouldn't travel in groups larger than three. No sense alerting more of Gaea's minions than we have to."**

**Percy still didn't look happy about it, but he took Annabeth's hand. "As long as you're my buddy, I'm good."**

"Awww..." Was what chorused through the room and Annabeth rolled her eyes but smiled as Percy chuckled.

"Of course I'm going to be your buddy." He said to her.

"You two are always together." Grover pointed out.

The couple shrugged and said, "Best battle pair?"

Chiron couldn't help but smirk.

_I knew you two liked each other before you knew yourselves._

**Hazel smiled. "Oh, that's easy. Frank, you were amazing, turning into a dragon! Could you do it again to fly Annabeth and Percy into town for the tar?"**

"Yeah Frank! Go into Dragon-Mode!"

**Frank opened his mouth like he wanted to protest. "I … I suppose. But what about you?"**

"Aww, he's worried about her." Aphrodite cooed.

"Yeah. Worried about her being along with Leo." Percy mumbled under his breath.

"**I'll ride Arion with Sa—with Leo, here." She fidgeted with her sword hilt, which made Leo uneasy. She had even more nervous energy than he did. "We'll get the bronze and the lime. We can all meet back here by dark."**

**Frank scowled. Obviously, he didn't like the idea of Leo going off with Hazel. For some reason, Frank's disapproval made Leo want to go.**

"Why? So Frank kicks your ass?"

"Will!" Annabeth and Katie scolded him while Apollo winked at his son.

"So Frank trusts him." Thalia guessed.

**He had to prove he was trustworthy. He wasn't going to fire any random ballistae again.**

"If it's Gaea's, go right ahead." Hermes said.

"It says random."

"**Leo," said Annabeth, "if we get the supplies, how long to fix the ship?"**

Nyssa thought for a moment and answered, "A few hours."

"**With luck, just a few hours."**

"**Fine," she decided. "We'll meet you back here as soon as possible, but stay safe. We could use some good luck. That doesn't mean we'll get it."**

Everyone nodded in approval and Katie closed the book.

"Time to go to bed!" Chiron said, smiling at everyone.

Again, the campers began arguing and protesting.

"But _Chiron_-"

"Can't we read one more chapter?

"I want some food."

Most people ignore Percy comment, except for Annabeth, who smacked him on the arm.

"We'll continue this after breakfast tomorrow. And Percy-"

The centaur put his hand on his shoulder and smiled, "It's good to have you back. It seemed different without you, my boy."

The son of Poseidon smiled at him and said, "Yeah. Come on everyone!" One by one, everyone but the gods and Chiron filed out of the Big House, adding good-nights to everyone and most of them gave Percy one last hug before rushing after their cabins.

Annabeth, Percy, Thalia and Grover walked towards the cabin, bickering and laughing.

Thalia smiled and said, "I'll see you guys tomorrow." She hugged all of them and then raced towards the Artemis Cabin, which was glowing a beautiful silver.

Grover soon left, leaving Percy and Annabeth alone, standing near the Athena cabin.

"Hey Seaweed Brain?"

"Hhmm?" He answered, turning his gaze to her.

"I'll see you later." She whispered and stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips.

Once she pulled away, Percy gently brushed a piece of curly hair blond hair behind her ear.

"Good night, Wise Girl."

She smiled when he used her nickname and whispered, "Night, Percy." Before kissing him once more and she walked into her cabin, while her siblings were all smirking at her smiling face.

"Hey Perce?" Malcolm called out from the door.

Percy turned and asked, "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

He shrugged, "No problem."

As the sun peaked up above the canoe lake, shining and casting a beautiful light on Thalia's Pine. The campers began stirring, most of them still tucked into their bunks with their blankets pulled over their heads.

Everything was quiet except for a quiet whispering of the wind, blowing through the deserted camp.

Two figures laid on the roof of the Big House, laughing quietly and watching the last flickering fireflies against the dark blue sky.

"It's nice out here, Seaweed Brain. With no campers, no screaming Ares campers. Just you and me." Percy chuckled, pulling her closer to him and interlacing their fingers together with his other arm around her waist.

"Yeah. I almost forgot how peaceful this place can get."

"That's because you always come when there's a war or something bad happening." Annabeth answered quietly. "You need to stay here for a full summer one time."

"I wish I could. After this war, if we both survive that and survive my mother getting mad at me because of this tattoo, we can stay here."

Annabeth traced the trident on his arm lightly with her fingertip and rested her head on his shoulder.

They cuddled in comfortable silence while Percy would whisper stupid things into her ear now and then, making her roll her eyes and laugh.

After a few hours, the first campers appeared, nudging their tired but excited siblings out of the doorways.

As everyone filed into Big House, after breakfast was over, Chiron asked, "Where's Percy and Annabeth? They didn't show up for breakfast."

Travis piped up, "Maybe they're in the lake?"

People chuckled and Athena rolled her eyes.

Above them, Percy and Annabeth were holding back their laughter as they listened to them through the open door.

"Maybe they got eaten by a monster?" Harley said.

"Yeah. They've been through hell-"

The gods flinched along with Chiron, who shook his head slightly.

"-and back and they get eaten by a monster?" Thalia asked.

"But where are they?" Katie asked, looking concerned.

That when Athena said, "Hey. What type of shoes do Percy wear?"

Everyone looked confused but Grover answered, "Converse why?"

"What color?"

"Dark blue Hi-Tops."

"Because I can see his shoes." She pointed and everyone turned and gazed out the window.

Those described dark blue hi-tops Converse were dangling from the shoelaces just in sight of the campers before they dropped to the ground.

Two well muscled legs appeared and that was when Percy jumped down from the roof.

He turned and a pair of low-top grey converse appeared and he caught them before dropping them next to his. Then he caught the next thing that fell: Annabeth.

He caught her before lowering her to her feet and turned and sat down on the steps.

They both put on their shoes and walked up to the door, hand in hand.

"Hey." Percy said, his voice was quivering as he tried not to laugh at everyone expression.

"What's wrong? Are we late?" Annabeth asked.

"No." Zeus said and Percy nodded, "Cool. Let's read."

They ignored the campers watching them and once they settled down on the couch, Thalia leaned towards them and asked, "Where were you two?"

"On the roof."

"How did you get up there?" Lou asked, looking shocked.

"Ugh, we climbed?" Annabeth answered.

"Here Will, you can read next." Chiron said, handing the book to the son of Apollo.

"Thanks." He said before opening the book and said, "**Leo VI**."

**I'm going to update sometime next week. And just to let you know, Aphrodite is going to read the stable scene. :)**

**Love you all and thanks for the reviews and being awesome.**

**-BlackConverse3**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey. By the way, I'm a girl, who's almost 16...getting there, big tomboy though and in my class, people had a conversation of how I could kick someone's butt. Don't remember how that start...but oh well. XD **

**Sorry for the apparent "mushiness" even though I honestly can't tell the difference. Okay, here's how I see it. **

**I'm allowed to do those scenes because this is my story. Would you rather have me make Percy in love with Drew? **

**See...I creeped you out for a second there. Is creeped even a word? Probably not. Okay, I'm getting off topic.****See, it would be Dercy or like Prew? The second one sounds like "poo" and the first one sounds like "derpy". **

**And who want's that, except for people who like making the weirdest couples ever, ****like ****Lukabeth? When I first saw that, I ****almost ****threw my laptop on the ground. XD But, I got a Private message from someone, don't remember who and don't even care but it kinda hurt. That's one reason I might not continue this story, though I'm very stubborn and when I get ****writing ****something, I will not stand for someone, who stops me from doing what I love****...or touches my books.**

**Isn't that weird? My pet peeve is when ****people ****touch my books. Like one time in class, my copy of MoA was on my binder and a guy picked it up and was all like, "****Damn ****BlackCoverse(****obviously ****that's not my name), I didn't know you read Percy Jackson." You know what I did? I grabbed my book and then smacked his over the head with a Spanish Textbook. **

**Our Spanish Textbooks are like...4 inches maybe and he began complaining until I gave him my "mean look", which my friend who reads PJO, thinks I have kind of a "Thalia" evil look. :D Okay, well, I'll update on Tuesday or Thursday! **

**Thank you so much for the reviews and keep reviewing and...reading fanfictions.**

**Love, **

**BlackConverse3 **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey. I'm updating now because I feel like it. So, here's the story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick does and everything in bold goes to him. **

Will opened his mouth to began reading when a bright light flashed through the room, making campers and gods turn away from the harshness.

After a few moments, the light faded and 7 people...okay sorry. 6 1/2 people stood there, looking dazed.

"What...where are we?" A girl asked.

She was pretty but she looked young, maybe 13. She had frizzy golden/brown colored hair with stunning golden eyes, which were red around the edges, like she had been crying. She looked scared as some demigods drew their weapons.

That was when Thalia gasped and asked, "Jason? Piper? Leo?" After a moment's pause, she added, "Coach."

The tall blond guy stared at her and asked, "Thalia. But what-"

That was when Zeus thundered, making a lot of campers jump because the Big House shook. He gave the campers sheepish looks before he ordered, "Introduce yourselves."

All the 6 demigods gapped, opened-mouthed at the gods.

Then, a guy with short-cropped blond hair and bright blue eyes stepped forward and said, "Jason Grace, son of Jupiter. One of the Seven."

Gasps came from the campers.

Jason stepped back, gazing at the ground until a girl put her hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner before announcing, "Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite. One of the Seven."

A short, scrawny boy**(A/N: By the way, I love Leo. So, don't take offense members of Team Leo!)** with curly black hair and dark brown eyes stepped forward and said blandly, "Leo Valdez. Son of Hephaestus and One of the Seven."

After a few moments, he flashed a slight smile at Thalia before stepping back.

Then, a stocky teenager with a black military hair cut and brown eyes took his place and said, "Frank Zhang, son of Mars...I mean Ares. One of the Seven."

The girl who spoke first, then stepped forward and said, "Hazel Levesque. Daughter of Pluto, or Hades to you. One of the Seven."

A satyr then moved forward and said, "Coach Hedge, satyr and protector." He then turned and bowed to Grover respectfully and said, "My Lord."

Grover looked embarrassed but he said, "Good to see you Hedge."

The satyr stepped back and a shabby looking boy stepped forward.

He had messy black hair and black eyes. A pure black sword hung at his side and he had pale skin.

"Nico Di Angelo, son of-" He paused and then his eyes grew wide. "Percy?"

Travis and Connor broke into snickers, "Son of Percy Jackson?"

All the newcomers eyes widened and they yelled, "Percy! Annabeth!"

The two both got off the couch and Hazel reached them first, tackling Percy with a hug before planting a big kiss on his cheek.

Poseidon narrowed his eyes as Percy smiled down at Hazel and asked, "Miss me much?"

"Percy! You ladies man! Have a girl kiss you when your girlfrie-Don't kill me!" Travis screamed as Annabeth grabbed her dagger and threw it at him, hitting him on the nose with the hilt of her dagger.

Hazel hugged Percy tightly while Piper hugged Annabeth, her beautiful eyes watery.

"Gods, we thought-" Hazel said and Percy smiled at her, "It's fine Hazel." She pulled away and went and hugged Annabeth as Frank stared at Percy before pulling him into the son of Poseidon into a hug.

"You're alive..." He mumbled and Percy rolled his bright eyes and said, "No, Frank. I didn't notice that." Once Frank patted Annabeth on her back and Leo flashed her a wide grin and gave her a one-armed hug before hugging Percy for a moment and pulled away and said quickly, "I'm so sorry Percy. I was stupid and I shouldn't have opened that fortune cookie and-"

"Leo."

"Yeah, Captain Saltwater?"

Percy ignored that comment and said, "It wasn't your fault. It's good to see you again. Now shut up."

Leo grinned his impish grin and then Jason stepped forward, nodding to Annabeth and then Percy stuck out his hand and said, "It's good to see you again, Jason."

"You to, Percy." They both shook hands before Jason moved back and Nico walked up to Percy.

"Perce...I-" Nico began but then Percy put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Nico, none of this was your fault."

Thalia and Annabeth broke into grins as Nico pulled Percy into a hug and they both hugged in a very-brotherly way.

After a few long moments, they pulled away and Percy grinned at the newcomers, "Come on. We're reading a book. It's called the Mark of Athena. Will, son of Apollo is reading right now." Percy lead them towards the couches and a lot of people scooted over to make room for everyone. Jason sat next Piper and Thalia, Frank sat next to Hazel and Will, Nico settled down next to Percy, Leo settled down next to Nyssa, who gave him a hug, while Coach Hedge leaned against the wall next to Grover.

"Okay, **Leo VI**." Will began reading.

Leo's face broke into a grin, "This is in my perspective? Cool!"

Nyssa rolled her eyes at her half-brother.

"Okay, your son's worse than Percy." Apollo said to Hephaestus.

The god shrugged and said, smiling slightly, "I highly doubt that."

Zeus nodded and agreed, "No one's worse than Perseus."

"Here, here." Thalia, Grover, Annabeth and Nico said.

Percy glared at them and grumbled, "Gee, thanks you guys. I can feel the love."

Nico smirked, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement, "Wow, Perce. I would think that was almost sarcasm."

Annabeth laughed at Percy expression.

"Gods, Seaweed Brain."

**Riding Arion was the best thing that had happened to Leo all day—which wasn't saying much, since his day had sucked.**

"Aww, Leo. Your life's going to suck almost more later on." Travis cooed.

Leo rolled his eyes and muttered, "It wasn't that bad."

**The horse's hooves turned the surface of the lake to salty mist. Leo put his hand against the horse's side and felt the muscles working like a well-oiled machine.**

Leo's father nodded in approval.

Poseidon and Percy blinked and then shrugged, "Yeah, that's kind of true."

**For the first time, he understood why car engines were measured in horsepower.**

"Really? I thought it was because they have four legs?" Clarisse said.

"Well, technically, they have four wheels." Leo answered her, grinning.

The daughter of Ares stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and muttering, "Forget it."

**Arion was a four-legged Maserati.**

Campers chuckled.

**Ahead of them lay an island—a line of sand so white, it might have been pure table salt. Behind that rose an expanse of grassy dunes and weathered boulders.**

**Leo sat behind Hazel, one arm around her waist.**

Frank grumbled something under his breath while Hazel rolled her eyes along with Annabeth.

"Boys." Piper, Annabeth and Hazel said out loud.

"Hey!" Their three boyfriends protested.

Annabeth glared at her boyfriend and said, "I wouldn't talk, Seaweed Brain."

Percy opened his mouth and then thought better of it, letting out a sigh and said, "Okay, fine."

"But we're nothing like Percy!" Jason and Frank protested.

Thalia grinned at Frank and said, "I like you. I like him Annabeth."

The son of Mars looked embarrassed as Nico busted out laughing.

"Frank, run."

"Shut up Nico." The son of Mars grumbled.

**The close contact made him a little uncomfortable, but it was the only way he could stay on board (or whatever you called it with a horse).**

Poseidon snorted and said, "It's called being on horsed."

Athena snapped, "Your an idiot!"

"Thank you." Poseidon said, smiling widely.

**Before they left, Percy had pulled him aside to tell him Hazel's story. **

"Not good. Percy's going to be all over-protective on you Leo."

Leo chuckled and answered Travis, "Yep."

**Percy made it sound like he was just doing Leo a favor, but there'd been an undertone like If you mess with my friend, I will personally feed you to a great white shark.**

Campers rolled their eyes at the son of Poseidon.

"Fatal Flaw." Connor and Katie sang.

"Gods, shut up." Percy complained.

"What's a fatal flaw?" Leo asked and Percy shook his head.

"It's not important right now. Besides, it should show in the book."

**According to Percy, Hazel was a daughter of Pluto. She'd died in the 1940s and been brought back to life only a few months ago.**

Everyone stared at her and Travis said, "You died? But you look so alive."

Percy, Frank and Leo rolled their eyes.

"Of course I'm alive." Hazel said, staring at Travis, who looked exactly like the other boy.

"Let me introduce myself, love." Connor said and grabbed her hand before kissing it.

"Connor Stoll, Head Counselor of the Hermes Cabin. Leader of Camp Half-Blood and-"

"That's Percy and Annabeth." Chris pointed out when his brother gave him a pointed glare that said _shut up bro, I'm trying to get some cred here _before smiling at Hazel.

"And might I say, your eyes are gorgeous sweetheart."

Campers were snickering as Frank's face grew red with anger and he pulled his bow and arrow.

Percy placed his hand on his shoulder and whispered something into his ear.

Frank grew a smirk and he said, "Hey Travis. Want to show a _Roman _some pranks?"

The Stoll released Hazel's hand, who looked nervous, and smiled, "Of course. Come on, Panda."

Travis led Frank out the door and after a few seconds, a very high pitched scream was heard.

Frank walked back into the room and put his arm around Hazel before they went and sat down.

Connor gazed at Frank as Travis walked in, his clothes were burned and dirt covered his face and arms. "Hey." Connor said to his brother, who winced and said, "Okay. I give. She's yours. No girl is worth getting burned over."

Percy shrugged and said, "Weelllll..."

Annabeth elbowed his ribs but smiled slightly at him.

**Leo found that hard to believe. Hazel seemed warm and very alive, not like the ghosts or the other reborn mortals Leo had tangled with.**

"Thanks."

"No problem, Miss Metal Detector."

**She seemed good with people, too, unlike Leo, who was much more comfortable with machines.**

"Me too." Nyssa said and Leo high-fived his half sister.

** Living stuff, like horses and girls? He had no idea what made them work.**

"Wow, your just like Percy!" Connor said and Leo chuckled.

Percy chuckled, "So true."

"I mean..." He said as Annabeth glared at him.

"Sorry, Wise Girl."

"I'm going to kill you." She mumbled before crossing her arms and leaning against him.

Travis laughed and said, "There's our Annabeth!"

Malcolm laughed along with the son of Hermes until Annabeth glared at him and he pulled at his shirt collar.

"Sorry, Annabeth."

**Still, her hair smelled good, and riding with her made his heart race almost against his will. It must've been the speed of the horse.**

Everyone was laughing as Leo and Hazel looked embarrassed.

"Hey, Me and Frank are cool now-"

"Frank and I." Percy corrected and then he put his hands on his head and said, "Damn. Annabeth, I spend _way too much_ time with you."

That made Annabeth roll her eyes and Chiron chuckled.

**Arion thundered onto the beach.**

"Wow, who knew a horse could be like Zeus." Apollo chuckled.

Zeus, however, was grinning and said, "Good. That horse is strong."

Percy whispered to Hazel, "Hear that Hazel. First time he's ever called a Son of Poseidon strong."

She laughed and then Poseidon smirked, "Yeah, they are alike. And they're both a pain in the ass."

The gods busted out laughing as Zeus rolled his eyes and muttered something about Percy being annoying.

**He stomped his hooves and whinnied triumphantly, like Coach Hedge yelling a battle cry.**

**Hazel and Leo dismounted. Arion pawed the sand.**

"**He needs to eat," Hazel explained. "He likes gold, but—"**

"Gold?"

"Yep."

"**Gold?" Leo asked.**

Campers chuckled as Annabeth looked annoyed and Leo chuckled.

"You think like me, Annabeth!"

"Great." She said dryly.

"**He'll settle for grass. Go on, Arion. Thanks for the ride. I'll call you." Just like that, the horse was gone—nothing left but a steaming trail across the lake.**

"Great son he is." Poseidon said and Percy gave him a weird look.

"**Fast horse," Leo said, "and expensive to feed."**

"Hey, he's exactly like his brother. Huh Percy?" Annabeth teased.

"I told you, I don't eat that much."

Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Leo and Coach Hedge all snorted.

"You could have an eating contest with a satyr, and you would win."

"And you're not even fat. Does your food turn straight into muscle?"

"I honestly don't know. My mom gave up on that a long time ago, trying to get me to not eat so much."

"**Not really," Hazel said. "Gold is easy for me."**

"How is_ Gold_ easy?" Katie asked while Connor stared at her, his eyes dreamy.

"Hazel has the power over riches and Nico has the power of the dead. The two halves of the children of Hades...or Pluto." Nico said.

**Leo raised his eyebrows. "How is gold easy? Please tell me you're not related to King Midas. I don't like that guy."**

"I don't either." Jason and Piper said together.

"See! If a Roman and Greek can get together, then we could probably get along." Malcolm pointed out.

"Malcolm, the Roman and Greeks have a grudge that lasted for centuries."

"I know that, Jason." The son of Athena said crossly.

**Hazel pursed her lips, as if she regretted raising the subject. "Never mind."**

"Nice one Leo." Lou said.

**That made Leo even more curious, but he decided it might be better not to press her. He knelt and cupped a handful of white sand. "Well…one problem solved, anyway. This is lime."**

"But I thought Lime was-"

Chris put his hand over his brother's mouth and said, "Just be quiet before Annabeth gets her dagger again."

**Hazel frowned. "The whole beach?"**

"**Yeah. See? The granules are perfectly round. It's not really sand. It's calcium carbonate." Leo pulled a Ziploc bag from his tool belt and dug his hand into the lime.**

**Suddenly he froze. He remembered all the times the earth goddess Gaea had appeared to him in the ground—her sleeping face made of dust or sand or dirt.**

All of the Seven looked away from the pitiful looks of the other campers and gods.

"So, Queen Dirt Face appears to all of you?" Pollux asked.

"As far as I know." Jason answered. "But I'm pretty sure she likes Percy the best."

Percy turned and said, "No. She hates me and she wants me to be her _precious little pawn._"

"So...you're going to be a pawn...again." Thalia said, quietly.

Percy shrugged and said, "I should be used to it by now."

He glanced at the gods and his father looked down, guiltily.

**_Walk away, little hero_****, Gaea said. ****_Without you, the ship cannot be fixed._**

Leo snorted, "Yeah, right. Like I'd listen to her."

"**Leo?" Hazel asked. "You okay?"**

"No." Travis answered helpfully.

**He took a shaky breath. Gaea wasn't here. He was just freaking himself out.**

"**Yeah," he said. "Yeah, fine." He started to fill the bag.**

**Hazel knelt next to him and helped. "We should've brought a pail and shovels."**

**The idea cheered Leo up. He even smiled. "We could've made a sand castle."**

That was when Harley smiled widely. "A lime castle?'

Hazel laughed and Will laughed and when people gave them weird looks, Will continued.

"**A lime castle."**

Campers chuckled and Leo high-fived Harley.

**Their eyes locked for a second too long.**

Leo winced but Frank just rolled his eyes and said, "Stupid Gaea."

Aphrodite got a huge grin and right when she opened her mouth, Piper shot her down.

"Don't even think about it Mom."

The love goddess pouted but nodded.

**Hazel looked away. "You are so much like—"**

"**Sammy?" Leo guessed.**

**She fell backward. "You know?"**

"**I have no idea who Sammy is. But Frank asked me if I was sure that wasn't my name."**

Apollo smirked, "It's your name."

Athena rolled her eyes and said, "No. His name is Leo."

"But everything Frank says is true, is it not?"

"What are you even-Never mind." Then Athena turned to Artemis and said, "I am truly sorry."

"**And … it isn't?"**

"**No! Jeez."**

"No need to snap at the lady Leo."

"**You don't have a twin brother or …" Hazel stopped. "Is your family from New Orleans?"**

"Hazel." Frank complained and she blushed and said, "What? I had to know?"

"**Nah. Houston. Why? Is Sammy a guy you used to know?"**

"**I … It's nothing. You just look like him."**

**Leo could tell she was too embarrassed to say more. But if Hazel was a kid from the past, did that mean Sammy was from the 1940s? If so, how could Frank know the guy?**

"Yeah, how do you know?" Leo asked.

"She showed me." Was Frank's only answer.

When Leo nodded, like he understood, Hades snarled, _"Showed_ _you what, son of Mar_s!"

Frank winced and said, his voice trembling slightly, "A flashback."

Hades' eyes softened and he nodded before Will continued.

**And why would Hazel think Leo was Sammy, all these decades later?**

"Because you look exactly alike?"

"We get it Chris."

**They finished filling the bag in silence. Leo stuffed it in his tool belt and the bag vanished—no weight, no mass, no volume—though Leo knew it would be there as soon as he reached for it. Anything that could fit into the pockets, Leo could tote around. He loved his tool belt. He just wished the pockets were large enough for a chain saw, or maybe a bazooka.**

"That's cool."

"Be even cooler if you could put something large in it."

**He stood and scanned the island—bleach-white dunes, blankets of grass, and boulders encrusted with salt like frosting. "Festus said there was Celestial bronze close by, but I'm not sure where—"**

"Hazel knows." Hades said smugly.

Poseidon rolled his eyes and said, "Obviously."

"**That way." Hazel pointed up the beach. "About five hundred yards."**

"**How do you—?"**

"**Precious metals," Hazel said. "It's a Pluto thing."**

"And having freaky mind-control over water is a Percy thing." Hazel said, smiling at her friend.

Percy rolled his eyes and said, "It's not freaky."

**Leo remembered what she'd said about gold being easy. "Handy talent. Lead the way, Miss Metal Detector."**

A girl in the back giggled and Leo winked at her.

Jason and Piper looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

**The sun began to set. The sky turned a bizarre mix of purple and yellow. In another reality, Leo might've enjoyed a walk on the beach with a pretty girl, but-**

"So would I." Percy added.

**-the farther they went, the edgier he felt. Finally Hazel turned inland.**

"**You sure this is a good idea?" he asked.**

"Of course not." Hazel said.

"**We're close," she promised. "Come on."**

**Just over the dunes, they saw the woman. She sat on a boulder in the middle of a grassy field. A black-and-chrome motorcycle was parked nearby, but each of the wheels had a big pie slice removed from the spokes and rim, so that they resembled Pac-Men. She wore black leather biker's pants, tall leather boots, and a blood red leather jacket—sort of a Michael Jackson joins the Hell's Angels look. Around her feet, the ground was littered with what looked like broken shells.**

Poseidon sat up and asked, "Is that who I think it is?"

Athena answered him, "Yep. It's Nemesis, goddess of revenge."

The Nemesis children in the room sat up straighter, interested to hear about their mother.

**She was hunched over, pulling new ones out of a sack and cracking them open. Shucking oysters?**

Ares rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what she's doing."

Percy narrowed his eyes and said, "She wanted something didn't she?"

Leo nodded grimly.

**Leo wasn't sure if there were oysters in the Great Salt Lake. He didn't think so.**

**He wasn't anxious to approach. He'd had bad experiences with strange ladies. His old babysitter, Tía Callida, had turned out to be Hera and had a nasty habit of putting him down for naps in a blazing fireplace.**

"Wow, what a nice sleeping place." Artemis said, glaring at Hera.

Percy and Annabeth snorted and Annabeth muttered, "I would have hated having her as my babysitter."

"I think everyone would." Thalia whispered to Annabeth.

**The earth goddess Gaea had killed his mother in a workshop fire when Leo was eight.**

Several campers winced and looked down.

Frank and Leo exchanged glances, knowing what it was like.

**The snow goddess Khione had tried to turn him into a frozen dairy treat in Sonoma.**

Leo's expression changed and he let out a sad sigh, "If only she did."

"Leo, fire and ice don't mix." Frank pointed out.

**But Hazel forged ahead, so he didn't have much choice except to follow.**

"Leave her there. I dare you." Travis said laughing.

**As they got closer, Leo noticed disturbing details. Attached to the woman's belt was a curled whip. Her red-leather jacket had a subtle design to it—twisted branches of an apple tree populated with skeletal birds. The oysters she was shucking were actually fortune cookies.**

"That sounds good." Frank said.

"You don't want those fortune cookies. Trust me kid." Ares said.

"**What are you doing?" Leo asked before he could stop himself. The woman looked up. Leo's lungs filled so fast, he thought they might burst.**

"You recognize her?"

"Sort of." Was Leo's only answer.

"**Aunt Rosa?" he asked.**

**It didn't make sense, but this woman looked exactly like his aunt. She had the same broad nose with a mole on one side, the same sour mouth and hard eyes. But it couldn't be Rosa. She would never wear clothes like that, and she was still down in Houston, as far as Leo knew. She wouldn't be cracking open fortune cookies in the middle of the Great Salt Lake.**

"**Is that what you see?" the woman asked. "Interesting. And you, Hazel, dear?"**

"**How did you—?" Hazel stepped back in alarm. "You—you look like Mrs. Leer. My third grade teacher. I hated you."**

Athena glared at the book stubbornly, "You shouldn't hate teacher."

"Yes you should." Percy said out loud.

The goddess of wisdom glared and Percy let out a sigh and answered her, "So you expect me to like teachers who are sarcastic with me and call me stupid."

Athena's eyes softened, much to everyone's surprise, and she said, "No."

"Continue Will." Annabeth said.

**The woman cackled. "Excellent. You resented her, eh? She judged you unfairly?"**

"**You—she taped my hands to the desk for misbehaving," Hazel said.**

"Jerk." Will muttered and Hazel smiled slightly at him.

"Thanks.

"Oh...I get it. You see people that you want to get even with...I think." Katie said.

"Wish I saw her then." Percy muttered on his breath, though it was loud enough for people to hear.

"Why?" Jason asked, curious of his answer.

"So I could get even." Was his only answer. **(A/N: By the way, he's thinking of Gabe. If you haven't already guessed that.)**

"**She called my mother a witch. She blamed me for everything I didn't do and— No. She has to be dead. Who are you?"**

"**Oh, Leo knows," the woman said. "How do you feel about Aunt Rosa, mijo?"**

Several campers scowled angrily at the book.

"Jerk."

The children of the goddess glared at the campers but then settled down, knowing it was wrong for her to do something like that.

Frank winced and Leo's father let out a sigh, remembering his mother.

**After his mom died, Rosa had rejected Leo. She'd called him a devil child. She'd blamed him for the fire that had killed her sister. Rosa had turned his family against him and left him—a scrawny orphaned eight-year-old—at the mercy of social services. Leo had bounced around from foster home to foster home until he'd finally found a home at Camp Half-Blood. Leo didn't hate many people, but after all these years, Aunt Rosa's face made him boil with resentment.**

"Good. You should resent her." Surprisingly, Aphrodite said this.

"Yeah. No one should do that, especially if their mother is gone." Poseidon said and then glared at Hades, who smiled back sheepishly.

"Sorry, Percy."

Percy shrugged and said, "It doesn't matter. I got even with you, didn't I?"

Nico chuckled, remembering when Percy and beaten his Dad.

"What are you talking about?" Piper asked.

"Nothing important right now." Percy answered.

**How did he feel? He wanted to get even. He wanted revenge.**

"Keeping grudges isn't always a good thing." Nico said and Leo shrugged, "I was angry."

"So was I." Nico said and smiled at Percy, who smiled back.

**His eyes drifted to the motorcycle with the Pac-Man wheels. Where had he seen something like that before? Cabin 16, back at Camp Half-Blood—the symbol above their door was a broken wheel."Nemesis," he said. "You're the goddess of revenge."**

"Wow, Leo figured it out pretty quick."

"**You see?" The goddess smiled at Hazel. "He recognizes me."**

**Nemesis cracked another cookie and wrinkled her nose. "You will have great fortune when you least expect it," she read. "That's exactly the sort of nonsense I hate. Someone opens a cookie, and suddenly they have a prophecy that they'll be rich! I blame that tramp Tyche. Always dispensing good luck to people who don't deserve it!"**

"Okay, I admit. That's is true." Percy said.

"For you." Thalia said. "Because your luck sucks.

**Leo looked at the mound of broken cookies. "Uh … you know those aren't real prophecies, right? They're just stuffed in the cookies at some factory—"**

The gods, Campers and Hunters all chuckled as Leo smirked proudly.

Rachael rolled her eyes but smiled.

"**Don't try to excuse it!" Nemesis snapped. "It's just like Tyche to get people's hopes up. No, no. I must counter her."**

"Of course you would." Hera mumbled.

"So...is she on our side?" Travis asked.

Leo shrugged and said, "Yeah, I think so."

**Nemesis flicked a finger over the slip of paper, and the letters changed to red. "You will die painfully when you most expect it. There! Much better."**

Percy nodded and said sarcastically, "Oh yeah. Much better. I hope I get that the next time I get Chinese food."

Campers chuckled and Nico smiled slightly, "I missed your sarcasm, Perce."

"**That's horrible!" Hazel said. "You'd let someone read that in their fortune cookie, and it would come true?"**

"That would be so great." Frank said, rolling his eyes.

Then, a son of Nemesis smiled widely, "Yes! It would! I'm so glad you see it my way, son of Mars!" "**Bah." The goddess resealed the cookie and tossed it in her basket. "Tyche would be Fortuna for you, I suppose, being Roman. Like the others, she's in a horrible way right now. Me? I'm not affected. I am called Nemesis in both Greek and Roman. I do not change, because revenge is universal."**

"So, there's a chocolate god." Connor asked, smirking widely.

Travis chuckled as Katie rolled her eyes and he smiled at her, "He's kidding Katie."

"I know. Just you two are so annoying." She said, her eyes shining with amusement.

The son of Hermes smiled and then turned and saw everyone staring at them, looking amused.

"What?" They asked.

"Aww...that's cute. They said the same thing." Annabeth cooed mockingly and Percy laughed.

"Yeah. Just wait a while. It'll happen."

"Definitely."

Katie and Travis blushed and Connor chuckled.

Demeter glared at Hermes, who looked embarrassed.

"**What are you talking about?" Leo asked. "What are you doing here?"**

"She wants something from you." Annabeth and Percy said together.

"How would you know?" Leo asked.

"Trust me. When your visited by a god, they usually want something." Percy said.

**Nemesis opened another cookie. "Lucky numbers. Ridiculous! That's not even a proper fortune!" She crushed the cookie and scattered the pieces around her feet.**

"**To answer your question, Leo Valdez, the gods are in terrible shape. It always happens when a civil war is brewing between you Romans and Greeks. The Olympians are torn between their two natures, called on by both sides. They become quite schizophrenic, I'm afraid. Splitting headaches. Disorientation."**

The gods groaned and Leo muttered, "I would hate to be a god."

"So would I." Percy said.

"But you were offered an-" Grover began but Percy shook his head and his friend fell silent.

Jason blinked and said, "Hold up. Did he just say you were offered? To become a god?"

Zeus then narrowed his eyes at Percy, who ignored him and everyone else's curious looks and said, "Continue Will."

"**But we're not at war," Leo insisted.**

"**Um, Leo …" Hazel winced. "Except for the fact that you recently blew up large sections of New Rome."**

**Leo stared at her, wondering whose side she was on. "Not on purpose!"**

Hazel protested, "I'm on the Seven's side. But they are my family."

"They treated you like cra-" Frank began but Hazel quickly cut him off.

"I can take care of myself Frank. Percy, if you were still with the Romans, would you attack Camp Half-Blood."

'Of course not." Percy said immediately.

"My point." Hazel said, smiling at Frank, who sighed and kissed her cheek. "Okay, Okay."

**Nemesis cackled.**

Several campers shivered and Percy said, "That's like when Uncle Hades laughs."

Hades glared as Nico and Annabeth chuckled and he snapped, "I laugh! And don't call me Uncle, upstart."

Poseidon and Zeus chuckled and said, "Your son is funny, though he's still annoying."

Zeus said and his brother shrugged.

**"Leo, listen to the girl. War is coming. Gaea has seen to it, with your help. And can you guess whom the gods blame for their predicament?"**

"Percy?" Most of the campers guessed.

"Oh, you guys are jerks." Percy said, causing them to laugh.

**Leo's mouth tasted like calcium carbonate. "Me."**

Thalia smirked, "Percy and Leo's faults."

** The gods blame Hera—or Juno, if you prefer! **

Percy and Jason nodded and said, "So do I."

Hera scowled at the two before glaring at Will.

"Read. Now."

Apollo opened his mouth to defend his son but then stopped at Zeus's warning glare.

**-The queen of the heavens has fled Olympus to escape the wrath of her family. Don't expect any more help from your patron!"**

"Help!" Thalia snapped and she snarled, "She took away my brother when he was 2**(A/N: Correct me if I'm wrong. I honestly don't care for Jason, I'm mad that Hera switched him and Percy.) **and then she took away Percy, my best friend, right after the war was over, whipped his memory and sent him all the way across the country!"

Hera didn't defend herself, just turned her head away.

**Leo's head throbbed. He had mixed feelings about Hera. She'd meddled in his life since he was a baby, molding him to serve her purpose in this big prophecy, but at least she had been on their side, more or less. If she was out of the picture now…**

"Then we're doomed."

"No we're not." The campers yelled at Clovis, who sunk back into his cabin mates and hugged his pillow.

"Hey, lay off of him. He didn't do anything wrong." Percy defended him.

Then, Mark, son of Ares scowled and said, "He's useless. The only thing he'll do during the war is sleep."

"And what did you do Mark?" Percy retorted and Mark stood up, grabbing for his sword.

Before a fight could break out, a few of his cabin mates held back the Ares camper and Percy was pulled back by Annabeth and Thalia.

"**So why are you here?" he asked.**

**Leo glanced at Hazel. She looked like she'd just been offered a free snake.**

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with snakes." Rachael protesting, causing Apollo to laugh as Hermes scowled at the book.

"Nothing is wrong with snakes, Leo." Hermes said, clutching his pen closer to him.

"**Your help," Leo said.**

"**Of course!" said the goddess. "I enjoy tearing down the proud and powerful, and there are none who deserve tearing down like Gaea and her giants.**

"So true." Ares mumbled.

**Still, I must warn you that I will not suffer undeserved success. Good luck is a sham. The wheel of fortune is a Ponzi scheme. True success requires sacrifice."**

At the word _sacrifice,_ the Seven all glared angrily at the book, including Chiron and Coach Hedge.

Annabeth gripped Percy hand tightly in her own.

Leo and Nico looked angry, their eyes burning into the book.

The others of the Seven, excluding Percy and Annabeth and including Coach Hedge, looked guilty.

Will winced, since most of their glares were directed at him and he kept reading.

**"I lost my mother. I died and came back. Now my brother is missing. Isn't that enough sacrifice for you?"**

Percy muttered, "Of course it's not."

Hazel squeezed one of his hands gently before letting go and gripping Frank's.

**Leo could totally relate. He wanted to scream that he'd lost his mom too. His whole life had been one misery after another. He'd lost his dragon, Festus. He'd nearly killed himself trying to finish the Argo II. Now he'd fired on the Roman camp, most likely started a war, and maybe lost the trust of his friends.**

"Never. We trust each other Leo." Jason said and all the others, including the Campers, nodded.

Leo looked touched and he gave them a smile.

"Thanks guys."

"We're family." Percy said, shrugging.

"**Right now," he said, trying to control his anger, "all I want is some Celestial bronze."**

"**Oh, that's easy," Nemesis said. "It's just over the rise. You'll find it with the sweethearts."**

Apollo broke into a smile and asked, "The Hunters?"

Artemis, the Hunters and a few of the campers glared at the sun god while Leo let out a sigh.

"I wish. They would've shot him in the face." **(A/N: Could you see that? Nar saying that they could kiss him and they would probably shot him. XD)**

"**Wait," Hazel said. "What sweethearts?"**

**Nemesis popped a cookie in her mouth and swallowed it, fortune and all. "You'll see. Perhaps they will teach you a lesson, Hazel Levesque. Most heroes cannot escape their nature, even when given a second chance at life." She smiled. "And speaking of your brother Nico, you don't have much time. Let's see … it's June twenty-fifth? Yes, after today, six more days. Then he dies, along with the entire city of Rome."**

The campers winced and Nico watched as his father, Percy and Thalia let out a deep growl in the back of their throat.

"No one gets to beat you up but me and Percy." Thalia said and Nico couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I know."

**Hazel's eyes widened. "How … what—?"**

"**And as for you, child of fire." She turned to Leo. "Your worst hardships are yet to come. You will always be the outsider, the seventh wheel. You will not find a place among your brethren. Soon you will face a problem you cannot solve, though I could help you…for a price."**

"What price?" Apollo asked.

Leo looked at him and said, "A high price. Something we couldn't afford to lose."

Jason looked at him and said, "You'll always be my best friend, Leo."

He smiled faintly at him.

**Leo smelled smoke. He realized fingers on his left hand were ablaze, and Hazel was staring at him in terror.**

"Sorry. I didn't know." Leo said to Frank.

Frank shrugged and said, "It wasn't your fault."

**He shoved his hand in his pocket to extinguish the flames. "I like to solve my own problems."**

"So do I." Percy muttered.

"**Very well." Nemesis brushed cookie dust off her jacket.**

"**But, um, what sort of price are we talking about?"**

People snorted and Leo looked embarrassed.

"Sorry."

**The goddess shrugged. "One of my children recently traded an eye for the ability to make a real difference in the world."**

Percy scowled at the book.

"Ethan did make a difference in the end."

Leo looked surprised and asked, "You knew him?"

"Yeah, he tried to kill me a lot."

"A lot of people seem to want to kill you." Jason pointed out.

"But he did what was right in the end." He exchanged a glance with Annabeth, almost unseen by the rest of the Seven.

**Leo's stomach churned. "You … want an eye?"**

"No, boy. She wants something more." Artemis said.

"Something painful." Poseidon said.

"**In your case, perhaps another sacrifice would do. But something just as painful. Here."**

**She handed him an unbroken fortune cookie. "If you need an answer, break this. It will solve your problem."**

Leo growled, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why did I open that!"

"Because you had to Leo." Percy said and Annabeth nodded.

"It wasn't your fault."

**Leo's hand trembled as he held the fortune cookie. "What problem?"**

"**You'll know when the time comes."**

The gods scowled.

"**No, thanks," Leo said firmly. But his hand, as though it had a will of its own, slipped the cookie into his tool belt.**

**Nemesis picked another cookie from her bag and cracked it open. "You will have cause to reconsider your choices soon. Oh, I like that one. No changes needed here."**

Annabeth winced.

"I would hate to open that one."

**She resealed the cookie and tossed it into the basket. "Very few gods will be able to help you on the quest. Most are already incapacitated, and their confusion will only grow worse. One thing might bring unity to Olympus again—an old wrong finally avenged. Ah, that would be sweet indeed, the scales finally balanced! But it will not happen unless you accept my help."**

"That's true, sadly." Apollo said.

Most of the gods nodded in agreement.

"**I suppose you won't tell us what you're talking about," Hazel muttered. "Or why my brother Nico has only six days to live. Or why Rome is going to be destroyed."**

"She won't."

**Nemesis chuckled. She rose and slung her sack of cookies over her shoulder. "Oh, it's all tied together, Hazel Levesque. As for my offer, Leo Valdez, give it some thought. You're a good child. A hard worker. We could do business. But I have detained you too long. You should visit the reflecting pool before the light fades. My poor cursed boy gets quite … agitated when the darkness comes."**

"What boy?" Malcolm narrowed his eyes, running through all the names.

Then he broke into a grin and smirked.

"You figured it out huh?" Percy asked.

The son of Athena nodded and then rolled his eyes.

"Athenian kids." He muttered.

**Leo didn't like the sound of that, but the goddess climbed on her motorcycle. Apparently, it was drivable, despite those Pac-Man–shaped wheels, because Nemesis revved her engine and disappeared in a mushroom cloud of black smoke.**

Artemis scowled along with Demeter and Grover.

"That's bad for the environment!"

**Hazel bent down. All the broken cookies and fortunes had disappeared except for one crumpled slip of paper. She picked it up and read, "You will see yourself reflected, and you will have reason to despair."**

"Great." Most of the campers said.

"**Fantastic," Leo grumbled. "Let's go see what that means."**

"Something bad." Will answered as he closed the book.

"Who wants to read next?"

Poseidon raised his hand and said, "I would like to read."

Will handed him the book before bowing and settling down next to the rest of the campers.

Poseidon opened the book and said, "**Leo VVI.**"

**Like it? Review please and I heard a song a few nights ago and I'm going to write a story about it. It's called Shake it Out(It's Always Dark Before The Dawn) by Florence and Monsters and it's going to be about Percy in Tarturas and the campers at Camp Half-Blood will be watching him. Have a great day and I'll update sometime this week. **

**-BlackConverse3 **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey! I'm sorry I haven't updated recently. I've had a lot of work to do. I'm putting in two chapter today. This one if a reading chapter and the next one will be that one-shot I said I would write about the song Shake It Out and it'll be morphed into the story. It'll be about Percy, mainly and the nightmares because of Tartarus. Hope you like both of them! :)**

******Leo VVI**

**"Who is Aunt Rosa?" Hazel asked.**

Leo scowled and said, "A annoying little a-"

"Son of a Gaea?" Percy suggested, giving him a pointed look.

Leo saw Hera and a few other gods glaring at him and he nodded, "Yep. A son of a Gaea."

"Actually...daughter of a Gaea." Travis smirked, causing many campers to rolled their eyes.

**Leo didn't want to talk about her. Nemesis's words were still buzzing in his ears. His tool belt seemed heavier since he'd put the cookie in there—which was impossible. Its pockets could carry anything without adding extra weight. Even the most fragile things would never break.**

"That's still so freaking cool."

A son of Nike agreed with Lou and Leo smirked.

"Yep. It is pretty cool." He patted his tool belt affectionately and cooed, "I love you tool belty. Aww, who's my baby? You are. Yes you are."

He got several weird looks and Percy chuckled at his behavior.

"It's like Percy and Mrs. O'Leary." Will pointed out before getting soaked by ice cool water.

He turned and glared at Percy, who was fiddling with a string on his shirt and he shrugged, "My hand slipped."

Annabeth, who saw everything, rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow.

He just smiled at his girlfriend.

**Still, Leo imagined he could feel it in there, dragging him down, waiting to be cracked open.**

"I hate that." Annabeth muttered and several demigods nodded in agreement.

**"Long story," he said. "She abandoned me after my mom died, gave me to foster care."**

"Did you run away?" Lou asked and Leo nodded.

"Yes, I did."

Percy gazed at Leo and said, "I would run away to."

Leo shrugged, "Yeah, but you didn't have a crappy life."

Percy eyes darkened and he said, "Trust me. I did."

Everyone looked at him curiously but he waved them off and told his father to keep reading.

**"I'm sorry."**

**"Yeah, well …" Leo was anxious to change the subject. "What about you? What Nemesis said about your brother?"**

"What's with you Seven with touchy subjects?"

The Seven looked at each other and shrugged, "We need to be able to trust each other to save the world." Percy was the one who answered Will.

The son of Apollo nodded and leaned back against the couch, placing his hands behind his head.

**Hazel blinked like she'd gotten salt in her eyes.**

Several campers glared at Leo, including Nico, whose was probably the second scariest next to Percy's glare.

Leo raised his hands and said, "Sorry."

Hazel shrugged, "Its fine."

**"Nico … he found me in the Underworld. He brought me back to the mortal world and convinced the Romans at Camp Jupiter to accept me. I owe him for my second chance at life. If Nemesis is right, and Nico's in danger … I have to help him."**

Hades nodded and said, "Good."

Nico narrowed his eyes and said, "You should've just left me there."

Hazel and Percy glared at him and said together, "We wouldn't have left you there, so just shut up."

"Creepy." Connor whispered to Will, who nodded.

**"Sure," Leo said, though the idea made him uneasy. He doubted the revenge goddess ever gave advice out of the goodness of her heart.**

"Probably not." Hermes muttered, having known the goddess pretty well.

**"And what Nemesis said about your brother having six days to live, and Rome getting destroyed … any idea what she meant?"**

Connor rolled his eyes and said, "She means that Nico had six days to live-"

"Well, you're going to save Nico right? And you did save him...right?" Will asked.

Percy shrugged, "We can't tell you."

Campers and gods groaned.

**"None," Hazel admitted. "But I'm afraid …"**

**Whatever she was thinking, she decided not to share it.**

Nico waved off his sister once she gave him a guilty look.

"It's fine Haze. I would be worried to."

"Everyone was." Percy said.

Nico looked guilty and he said, "You wanted to strangle me."

"Still do, and I will, after this war."

Thalia and Annabeth smiled, "We will to."

"And us." The Hunters called out and Nico winced and sunk into his seat.

**She climbed one of the largest boulders to get a better view. Leo tried to follow and lost his balance. Hazel caught his hand. She pulled him up and they found themselves atop the rock, holding hands, face-to-face.**

"Awkward." Will sang with a few of the Apollo campers, earning a glare from Frank and Leo.

"Look, man, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to steal your girl-" Leo began.

"Don't forget that's my sister." Nico pointed out, sending an annoyed look at Leo.

"The only guys I would ever allow her to be with are Percy or Frank. Percy's with Annabeth and she's with Frank."

Percy and Hazel looked at each other and then their faces twisted in disgust.

"He's almost four years older than me. And he's like a brother to me." Hazel said.

"I'm with Annabeth." Percy said, making Thalia smirk.

"So no explanation need there?"

"No explanation needed there, Thals."

**Hazel's eyes glittered like gold. **

Connor let out a sigh, staring at Hazel.

"Seriously, why can't people understand what taken means?" Piper said.

Frank nodded and said, "I know. I mean, Percy, what would you do if someone started flirting with Annabeth."

Percy looked at Frank and laughed, "Frank, no one here has the nerve to flirt with Annabeth. First of all, Annabeth would kill them and second, I would kill them."

**Gold is easy, she'd said. It didn't seem that way to Leo—not when he looked at her. He wondered who Sammy was. Leo had a nagging suspicion that he should know, but he just couldn't place the name. Whoever he was, he was lucky if Hazel cared for him.**

**"Um, thanks." He let go of her hand, but they were still standing so close, he could feel the warmth of her breath. She definitely didn't seem like a dead person.**

Hades rolled his eyes and said, "Not all dead people are cold."

"Nico's cold?" Leo pointed out.

"Leo, Nico isn't dead." Percy said and then added, "Though, I remember when he used to be tan before..."

His voice trailed away and he casted a guilty look at Nico.

"Never mind. Sorry Nico."

"It's fine." The son of Hades answered, his eyes unfocused as if he was remembering everything.

**"When we were talking to Nemesis," Hazel said uneasily, "your hands … I saw flames."**

"Really? I saw twinkles." Percy said.

"You weren't even the-Was that sarcasm?' Leo said.

"Of course. He's the King of Sarcasm." Thalia said.

**"Yeah," he said. "It's a Hephaestus power. Usually I can keep it under control."**

**"Oh." She put one hand protectively on her denim shirt, like she was about to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Leo got the feeling she wanted to back away from him, but the boulder was too small.**

"Wow. Nice Leo." Jason said, smiling.

**Great, he thought. Another person who thinks I'm a scary freak.**

"Aww, Leo. You're the only freak, all of the Seven are a little freaky in their own way." Travis said.

The Seven glared at the son of Hermes when Percy chuckled.

"He's find of right. Jason can fly, Piper can charmspeak people, Leo can use fire, Hazel can control gems and stones, Frank can turn into animals and Annabeth's a freaking genius."

Annabeth chuckled, "And you have a short temper and have a freaking mind of water power."

"See, we're all good then." Percy smiled and the Seven all chuckled.

**He gazed across the island. The opposite shore was only a few hundred yards away. Between here and there were dunes and clumps of boulders, but nothing that looked like a reflecting pool.**

**You will always be the outsider, Nemesis had told him, the seventh wheel. You will not find a place among your brethren.**

Nyssa looked at her half-brother and said, "That's not true Leo."

His siblings nodded and so did the rest of the Seven.

"Thanks." Leo said blankly.

**She might as well have poured acid in his ears. Leo didn't need anybody to tell him he was odd man out. He'd spent months alone in Bunker 9 at Camp Half-Blood, working on his ship while his friends trained together and shared meals and played capture-the-flag for fun and prizes. Even his two best friends, Piper and Jason, often treated him like an outsider. Since they'd started dating, their idea of "quality time" didn't include Leo.**

"Leo. You know that's not true." Piper protested.

Jason nodded and said, "You'll always be my best friend, Leo."

Grover nodded and said, "When Percy and Annabeth started dating, we all still hung out together."

Leo smiled but still felt bitterness well in his chest.

"Thanks guys."

**His only other friend, Festus the dragon, had been reduced to a figurehead when his control disk had gotten destroyed on their last adventure. Leo didn't have the technical skill to repair it.**

"Yes you do Leo."

**The seventh wheel. Leo had heard of a fifth wheel—an extra, useless piece of equipment. He figured a seventh wheel was worse.**

"Probably." Connor said.

"You're not helping Connor." Leo said.

**He'd thought maybe this quest would be a fresh start for him. All his hard work on the Argo II would pay off. He'd have six good friends who would admire and appreciate him, and they'd go sailing off into the sunrise to fight giants.**

"Yeah! Let's sail off into the sunrise to fight giants." Leo said, leaping to his feet.

Everyone chuckled and Percy rolled his eyes.

"Wow Leo."

**Maybe, Leo secretly hoped, he'd even find a girlfriend.**

Annabeth smiled along with Hazel and Piper.

"Any girl would be crazy not to like you Leo." Piper said.

Hazel nodded and smiled, "You have a great personality and your sweet and funny."

The campers nodded and a few girls giggled.

Leo grew a wide grin on his face.

"The ladies just love Team Leo!"

Piper rolled her eyes and said, "Oh gods, Leo."

"You mean Team Percabeth?" Lacy smiled.

Campers whopped and Aphrodite smirked.

"Everyone loves Percabeth Lacy. There complete opposites." Piper pointed out.

"Yeah, and Percy's a negative and Annabeth's a positive and they fit perfectly together."

"Shut up." Percy said.

**Do the math, he chided himself.**

**Nemesis was right. He might be part of a group of seven, but he was still isolated. He had fired on the Romans and brought his friends nothing but trouble. You will not find a place among your brethren.**

**"Leo?" Hazel asked gently. "You can't take what Nemesis said to heart."**

**He frowned. "What if it's true?"**

**"She's the goddess of revenge," Hazel reminded him. "Maybe she's on our side, maybe not; but she exists to stir up resentment."**

Campers nodded and Jason smiled, "That's smart Hazel."

She smiled and said, "Thanks."

**Leo wished he could dismiss his feelings that easily. He couldn't. Still, it wasn't Hazel's fault.**

**"We should keep going," he said. "I wonder what Nemesis meant about finishing before dark."**

"Finish before dark?"

**Hazel glanced at the sun, which was just touching the horizon. "And who is the cursed boy she mentioned?"**

**Below them, a voice said, "Cursed boy she mentioned."**

"Who copied him?" The Campers and Hunters asked.

The Seven smirked and Leo said, "I'm not saying anything."

That was when Malcolm gasped and said, "It's Echo!"

"Ohh..." Campers muttered.

**At first, Leo saw no one. Then his eyes adjusted. He realized a young woman was standing only ten feet from the base of the boulder. Her dress was a Greek-style tunic the same color as the rocks. Her wispy hair was somewhere between brown and blond and gray, so it blended with the dry grass. She wasn't invisible, exactly, but she was almost perfectly camouflaged until she moved. Even then, Leo had trouble focusing on her. Her face was pretty but not memorable. In fact, each time Leo blinked, he couldn't remember what she looked like, and he had to concentrate to find her again.**

"That sucks." Most of the campers muttered to each other.

**"Hello," Hazel said. "Who are you?"**

**"Who are you?" the girl answered. Her voice sounded weary, like she was tired of answering that question.**

"Well, she has to repeat everything. Over and over again."

"I would hate that."

**Hazel and Leo exchanged looks. With this demigod gig, you never knew what you'd run into. Nine times out of ten, it wasn't good. A ninja girl camouflaged in earth tones didn't strike Leo as something he wanted to deal with just then.**

**"Are you the cursed kid Nemesis mentioned?" Leo asked. "But you're a girl."**

"No, she's a boy." Connor laughed.

"Who's the cursed boy?" Will asked.

"Who do you think?" Leo said.

**"You're a girl," said the girl.**

Campers laughed and Leo blushed with embarrassment.

**"Excuse me?" Leo said.**

**"Excuse me," the girl said miserably.**

"That sucks." Nyssa said and several campers nodded.

"Well, she deserved it. She was a gossip." Drew said, causing several campers to roll their eyes.

"Look who's talking." Piper muttered.

**"You're repeating …" Leo stopped. "Oh. Hold it. Hazel, wasn't there some myth about a girl who repeated everything—?"**

Annabeth clapped, "You remembered! Percy wouldn't have."

"Yeah, he would've looked at Annabeth. He does that for all the myths."

"Not all of them!" Percy protested.

Poseidon chuckled at his son and said, "Son, you need to touch up on your mythology."

Jason nodded, "Or just learn everything over again."

Percy glared and said, "I'd rather try and eat Riptide than do that again. It was such a pain."

Annabeth glared at him and said, "I was the one teaching you."

"I didn't say _you _were a pain. I said the gods are a pain."

"Hey!" The gods protested, causing the campers and hunters to look at them pointly.

"Okay, they have a point." Hades muttered to his two brothers, who shrugged and nodded.

**"Echo," Hazel said.**

**"Echo," the girl agreed. She shifted, her dress changing with the landscape. Her eyes were the color of the salt water. Leo tried to home in on her features, but he couldn't.**

**"I don't remember the myth," he admitted. "You were cursed to repeat the last thing you heard?"**

"That would be so much fun." Connor said.

Travis nodded and Katie smacked him on the arm.

**"You heard," Echo said.**

**"Poor thing," Hazel said. "If I remember right, a goddess did this?"**

**"A goddess did this," Echo confirmed.**

"Wasn't it Hera?" Percy muttered to the other demigods sitting on the floor.

They nodded and Thalia muttered, "Of course it would be."

**Leo scratched his head. "But wasn't that thousands of years … oh. You're one of the mortals who came back through the Doors of Death. I really wish we could stop running into dead people."**

Frank rolled his eyes and sighed, "Hazel's right next to you. You could've been more-"

"I'm sorry. I forgot." Leo interrupted and sent a apologetic look at Hazel, who smiled back at him.

"Can you continue?" Annabeth asked Poseidon, who nodded.

**"Dead people," Echo said, like she was chastising him.**

**He realized Hazel was staring at her feet.**

Hades glared at Leo, who shrunk back into his seat and apologized quickly.

Poseidon rolled his eyes and said, "Don't scare the boy."

**"Uh … sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean it that way."**

**"That way." Echo pointed toward the far shore of the island.**

"Is she trying to show you something?" Clarisse asked.

Leo and Hazel nodded.

**"You want to show us something?" Hazel asked. She climbed down the boulder, and Leo followed.**

**Even up close, Echo was hard to see. In fact, she seemed to get more invisible the longer he looked at her.**

"That terrible." Katie muttered.

**"You sure you're real?" he asked. "I mean … flesh and blood?"**

**"Flesh and blood." She touched Leo's face and made him flinch. Her fingers were warm.**

"That's kind of creepy." Jason muttered.

"How would you feel if that happened to you?" A younger camper snapped at him.

Jason shrugged, "I don't know. I never really thought about it."

**"So … you have to repeat everything?" he asked.**

"Oh no." Hermes said but he was grinning.

"You didn't..." Piper said, narrowing her eyes.

"You can't pass down a golden chance, Beauty Queen." Leo answered her, flashing her a grin.

Campers chuckled.

**"Everything."**

**Leo couldn't help smiling.**

**"That could be fun."**

"Leo." Piper and Hazel groaned.

**"Fun," she said unhappily.**

**"Blue elephants."**

**"Blue elephants."**

Travis and Connor grinned at each other.

"We totally should steal one of those."

**"Kiss me, you fool."**

**"You fool."**

"Yes, yes he is." Piper and Annabeth said, causing Leo to pout.

"Hey!"

**"Hey!"**

**"Hey!" **

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"He-"

"The next person who says that word, will be stabbed with my dagger." Annabeth snapped and the campers broke into fits of laughter before settling down after a few moments.

**"Leo," Hazel pleaded, "don't tease her."**

"Yeah Leo! Don't tease her!" Connor scolded and Leo rolled his eyes.

**"Don't tease her," Echo agreed.**

**"Okay, okay," Leo said, though he had to resist the urge.**

"At least you can resist the urge to do something. My cousin here, has no restrain what so ever, unless Annabeth's with him." Thalia said, patting Percy on the back.

Percy rolled his eyes and said, "I have restraint."

Piper smirked and said, "Really? Like when you were talking to Mr. D? That was restraint?"

Percy stayed silent and she smiled, "See."

**It wasn't every day he met somebody with a built-in talkback feature. "So what were you pointing at? Do you need our help?"**

**"Help," Echo agreed emphatically.**

**She gestured for them to follow and sprinted down the slope. Leo could only follow her progress by the movement of the grass and the shimmer of her dress as it changed to match the rocks.**

**"We'd better hurry," Hazel said. "Or we'll lose her."**

**They found the problem—if you can call a mob of good-looking girls a problem.**

"I do." Percy answered.

"So do I." Jason agreed and Leo rolled his eyes.

"That's because you two are like the attractively handsome leaders of two rival campers. And your complete opposites." Leo said.

The two looked at each other and Percy raised his eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Nothing. Continue Lord Poseidon."

**Echo led them down into a grassy meadow shaped like a blast crater, with a small pond in the middle. Gathered at the water's edge were several dozen nymphs. At least, Leo guessed they were nymphs. Like the ones at Camp Half-Blood, these wore gossamer dresses. Their feet were bare. They had elfish features, and their skin had a slightly greenish tinge.**

Grover and Coach Hedge sighed, causing campers to chuckled.

"I wish Juniper were here." Grover said.

**Leo didn't understand what they were doing, but they were all crowded together in one spot, facing the pond and jostling for a better view. Several held up phone cameras, trying to get a shot over the heads of the others. Leo had never seen nymphs with phones. He wondered if they were looking at a dead body. If so, why were they bouncing up and down and giggling so excitedly?**

"I hate dead bodies." Most of the camper said, remembering everyone who had died during the last war.

"No kidding. They're so smelly and nasty." Aphrodite said, pinching her nose.

Drew nodded in agreement with her mother.

**"What are they looking at?" Leo wondered.**

**"Looking at," Echo sighed.**

**"One way to find out." Hazel marched forward and began nudging her way through the crowd. "Excuse us. Pardon me."**

"There's no need to be so polite Haze." Travis said.

Connor nodded and said, "Just push them out of the way."

**"Hey!" one nymph complained. "We were here first!"**

**"Yeah," another sniffed. "He won't be interested in you."**

Hazel rolled her eyes and said, "I wouldn't be interested in him."

**The second nymph had large red hearts painted on her cheeks. Over her dress, she wore a T-shirt that read: OMG, I 3 N!**

"Who's N?" Most campers asked.

Malcolm thought for a moment and asked, "Is it Narcissus?"

Leo and Hazel nodded.

**"Uh, demigod business," Leo said, trying to sound official. "Make room. Thanks."**

Campers snorted and Percy laughed, "I am so trying that."

**The nymphs grumbled, but they parted to reveal a young man kneeling at the edge of the pond, gazing intently at the water.**

**Leo usually didn't pay much attention to how other guys looked. He supposed that came from hanging around Jason—tall, blond, rugged, and basically everything Leo could never be.**

Jason let out a sigh and said, "Leo, I wish I could be like you."

"Really?"

"Of course. You're smart and you have a good sense of humor."

"You think my jokes are funny?" Leo said, his eyes shining.

"Of course."

The two bumped fists.

"I think Percy's cuter than both of you." A girl in the back said, causing campers to chuckle.

Leo puffed out his chest and flexed his "muscles" and grinned, "Why would you like that Fish Boy?"

Percy rolled his eyes and said, "Fish Boy? No, that's my half-brother."

"Have you seen Percy without a shirt?" The girl retorted.

Leo shook his head and smirked, "What? Does he have a 1 pack?"

"How have you seen me without a shirt?" Percy asked the girl, who blushed and answered, "When you went swimming in the lake."

Then she turned to Leo and said, "And for you information, Percy has a-"

"Can you please continue Lord Poseidon?" Annabeth pleaded and the sea god nodded.

**Leo was used to not being noticed by girls. At least, he knew he'd never get a girl by his looks. He hoped his personality and sense of humor would do that someday, though it definitely hadn't worked yet.**

**At any rate, Leo couldn't miss the fact that the guy at the pond was one super good-looking dude. He had a chiseled face with lips and eyes that were somewhere between feminine beautiful and masculine handsome. Dark hair swept over his brow. He might've been seventeen or twenty, it was hard to say, but he was built like a dancer-**

Annabeth rolled her eyes and said, "Swimmers are better."

"You would say that Annabeth." Piper laughed.

"Besides, Percy's body is much better than Nar-"

Percy covered her mouth with his hand and threatened quietly in her ear, "Continue that sentence and I'll show everyone your baby picture. The one your mother gave me."

Annabeth narrowed her grey eyes at him but nodded and he took his hand away from her mouth.

-**with long graceful arms and muscular legs, perfect posture and an air of regal calm.**

Nico opened his mouth but Percy quickly shut him up with a pillow to the face.

"Don't even say it."

**He wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with a bow and quiver strapped to his back. The weapons obviously hadn't been used in a while. The arrows were covered in dust. A spider had woven a web in the top of the bow.**

The Hunters scowled and Thalia snorted, "What a poor excuse."

Artemis nodded in agreement.

**As Leo edged closer, he realized the guy's face was unusually golden. In the sunset, the light was bouncing off a large flat sheet of Celestial bronze that lay at the bottom of the pond, washing Mr. Handsome's features in a warm glow.**

Jason snorted, "Mr. Handsome?"

Leo looked embarrassed but he shrugged.

**The guy seemed fascinated with his reflection in the metal.**

"He's in love with himself."

"That's weird."

"All Mythology stories are weird."

"True."

**Hazel inhaled sharply. "He's gorgeous."**

Campers laughed at Hazel's red face.

"She thought Percy was handsome to. She told me she thought he looked like a Roman god." Nico smirked.

Hazel was fanning her face and she snapped, "Nico! That was when I first meet him!"

Percy was laughing along with Annabeth.

Annabeth smiled, "Relax Hazel. I know you like Frank."

**Around her, the nymphs squealed and clapped in agreement.**

Grover and Coach Hedge rolled their eyes, "Nymphs."

**"I am," the young man murmured dreamily, his gaze still fixed on the water. "I am so gorgeous."**

**One of the nymphs showed her iPhone screen. "His latest YouTube video got a million hits in like, an hour. I think I was half of those!"**

Percy snorted, "That's so sad."

"I wouldn't be proud of that." Leo agreed.

"I kind of want to look that up now." Travis commented.

"Annabeth, can we burrow-"

"No." She answered.

"But-"

"No. The only person I ever let burrow my laptop is Percy."

The brother's jaws dropped, "Percy? As in _Perseus Jackson?"_

Percy's eyes hardened slightly and he said sharply, "Don't call me that."

Jason and Leo chuckled, "Your name is _Perseus_? Like the _original Perseus_?"

"Yeah, can you just read. Now." Percy pleaded as the others opened their mouths to comment about his full name.

**The other nymphs giggled.**

**"YouTube video?" Leo asked. "What does he do in the video, sing?"**

**"No, silly!" the nymph chided. "He used to be a prince, and a wonderful hunter and stuff. But that doesn't matter. Now he just … well, look!" She showed Leo the video. It was exactly what they were seeing in real life—the guy staring at himself in the pond.**

"Yeah...so entertaining." Will said.

"Who doesn't want to see a guy staring into a pond?"

Connor raised his hand and Chris shook his head.

"Never mind."

**"He is sooooo hot!" said another girl. Her T-shirt read: MRS. NARCISSUS.**

Travis smirked, "Annabeth, you need a shirt that says: MRS. JACKSON."

Annabeth blushed but then glared at the son of Hermes, who was receiving high-fives from all of the other senior campers.

"Nice one Travis."

**"Narcissus?" Leo asked.**

**"Narcissus," Echo agreed sadly.**

The two Hermes brother looked at each other and sang, "NARCISSUS!" **(A/N: What if someone named their son Narcissus? I would laugh so hard...even though I'm naming first kid after a Greek Hero... :))**

**Leo had forgotten Echo was there. Apparently none of the nymphs had noticed her either.**

"That really is sad." Clarisse added.

The gods all nodded, except for Hera.

**"Oh, not you again!" Mrs. Narcissus tried to push Echo away, but she misjudged where the camouflaged girl was and ended up shoving several other nymphs.**

"That's what you get."

**"You had your chance, Echo!" said the nymph with the iPhone. "He dumped you four thousand years ago! You are so not good enough for him."**

Thalia scowled and said, "That piece of Pegasus poop is the one not good enough for anyone. All he does is love himself."

**"For him," Echo said bitterly.**

**"Wait." Hazel clearly had trouble tearing her eyes away from the handsome guy, but she managed it. "What's going on here? Why did Echo bring us here?"**

"To try and save him?" A camper guessed.

Leo shrugged and said, "My lips are sealed."

**One nymph rolled her eyes. She was holding an autograph pen and a crumpled poster of Narcissus. "Echo was a nymph like us, a long time ago, but she was a total chatterbox! Gossiping, blah, blah, blah, all the time."**

"That what they're doing right now." Jason pointed out.

"Well, no offense, but nymphs aren't the brightest crayon in the crayon box." Percy said, causing campers to chuckled.

"I mean water nymphs." Percy corrected himself when Grover glared at him.

**"I know!" another nymph shrieked. "Like, who could stand that? Just the other day, I told Cleopeia—you know she lives in the boulder next to me?—I said: Stop gossiping or you'll end up like Echo. Cleopeia is such a big mouth! Did you hear what she said about that cloud nymph and the satyr?"**

The gods shook their heads.

"Look who's talking." Artemis retorted.

Mr. D let out a sigh and said, "Nymphs..."

**"Totally!" said the nymph with the poster. "So anyway, as punishment for blabbing, Hera cursed Echo so she could only repeat things, which was fine with us. But then Echo fell in love with our gorgeous guy, Narcissus—as if he would ever notice her."**

"As if he's ever going to notice you! He's in love with himself, for the love of the gods." Piper said.

"They're just stupid."

**"As if!" said half a dozen others.**

**"Now she's got some weird idea he needs saving," said Mrs. Narcissus. "She should just go away."**

"_You_ should just go away." Frank said.

**"Go away," Echo growled back.**

"Yeah! You tell them Echo!" The campers cheered.

**"I'm so glad Narcissus is alive again," said another nymph in a gray dress. She had the words NARCISSUS + LAIEA written up and down her arms in black marker. "He's like the best! And he's in my territory."**

**"Oh, stop it, Laiea," her friend said. "I'm the pond nymph. You're just the rock nymph."**

**"Well, I'm the grass nymph," another protested.**

**"No, he obviously came here because he likes the wildflowers!" another said. "Those are mine!"**

**The whole mob began arguing while Narcissus stared at the lake, ignoring them.**

Travis rolled his eyes and said, "Wow. Real charmer you got there."

Katie rolled her eyes at him and said, "Like you could do better?"

The son of Hermes turned towards her and grinned, "Well, my dear Katie, Hermes is the god of persuasion. Of course I could do better."

**"Hold it!" Leo yelled. "Ladies, hold it! I need to ask Narcissus something."**

**Slowly the nymphs settled down and went back to taking pictures.**

**Leo knelt next to the handsome dude. "So, Narcissus. What's up?"**

**"Could you move?" Narcissus asked distractedly. "You're ruining the view."**

"Ass." Thalia muttered.

**Leo looked in the water. His own reflection rippled next to Narcissus's on the surface of the submerged bronze. Leo didn't have any desire to stare at himself. Compared to Narcissus, he looked like an undergrown troll. **

"Leo!" Campers groaned.

"You're almost as self-conscious as Percy." Annabeth sighed.

**But there was no doubt the metal was a sheet of hammered Celestial bronze, roughly circular, about five feet in diameter.**

"Get it!"

"Yeah. and do what? With all those nymphs around him?" Will pointed out.

"Oh..." The campers muttered.

**What it was doing in this pond, Leo wasn't sure. Celestial bronze fell to earth in odd places. He'd heard that most pieces were cast off from his dad's various workshops. Hephaestus would lose his temper when projects didn't work out, and he'd toss his scraps into the mortal world.**

Percy, Thalia and Nico winced and looked down.

Hades clenched his hand into a fist and then stared at his son, who was whispering something to Percy.

Percy shrugged his broad shoulders and answered him in a quiet voice.

He was speaking in Greek but it was so fast, Hades only caught a few words.

_So sorry...my fault...Bianca..._

Hades' son shook his head and then Thalia muttered something to Percy, making him look down at his hands with a guilty look on his face.

"Percy, it wasn't your fault. Not everything is your fault."

Percy chuckled sarcastically at her words and answered, "Yeah, it kind of is."

Poseidon sensed the tension in his son's voice and continued reading.

**This piece looked like it might have been meant as a shield for a god, but it hadn't turned out properly. If Leo could get it back to the ship, it would be just enough bronze for his repairs.**

"Great!" Travis said.

"How do they get it to the ship though?" Chris asked.

"Oh...didn't think of that." Travis's face fell.

**"Right, great view," Leo said. "Happy to move, but if you're not using it, could I just take that sheet of bronze?"**

**"No," Narcissus said. "I love him. He's so gorgeous."**

Rachael and Piper snorted.

"Yeah, that's completely normal."

**Leo looked around to see if the nymphs were laughing. This had to be a huge joke. But they were swooning and nodding in agreement. Only Hazel seemed appalled.**

Thalia beamed at the daughter of Pluto and said, "Your awesome."

She blushed, looking embarrassed and said, "Thank you."

Frank kissed her cheek and smiled, "You are."

**She wrinkled her nose as if she'd come to the conclusion that Narcissus smelled worse than he looked.**

"Gods, I wish you were my sister instead of Jason being my brother."

"Hey!" Jason protested.

The Seven laughed and Hazel smiled, "Thanks Thalia."

**"Man," Leo said to Narcissus. "You do realize that you're looking at yourself in the water, right?"**

**"I am so great," Narcissus sighed. He stretched out a hand longingly to touch the water, but held back. "No, I can't make ripples. That ruins the image. Wow … I am so great."**

The Hunters rolled their eyes and said, "Men."

"No kidding." Percy, Leo, Frank and Jason muttered.

"He is so pathetic."

"No really?"

**"Yeah," Leo muttered. "But if I took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. Or here …" He reached in his tool belt and pulled out a simple mirror the size of a monocle. "I'll trade you."**

Hades rolled his eyes and said, "He's going to think you have a picture of him."

"How would you know that?" Nico asked.

Hades shrugged, "Let's just say that there are a few spirits that hate him."

**Narcissus took the mirror, reluctantly, and admired himself. "Even you carry a picture of me? I don't blame you. I am gorgeous.-**

"Ego."

**-Thank you." He set the mirror down and returned his attention to the pond. "But I already have a much better image. The color flatters me, don't you think?"**

"No. If it doesn't flatter Leo, it defiantly won't flatter you." A girl in the back said.

Leo winked at her once more and campers shook their heads.

"Leo..."

** "Oh, gods, yes!" a nymph screamed. "Marry me, Narcissus!"**

**"No, me!" another cried. "Would you sign my poster?"**

**"No, sign my shirt!"**

**"No, sign my forehead!"**

**"No, sign my—"**

"Gods. This is getting annoying."

"It's been annoying for the last hour." Will told Piper.

**"Stop it!" Hazel snapped.**

**"Stop it," Echo agreed.**

"Thank you!"

**Leo had lost sight of Echo again, but now he realized she was kneeling on the other side of Narcissus, waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to break his concentration. Narcissus didn't even blink.**

**The nymph fan club tried to shove Hazel out of the way, but she drew her cavalry sword and forced them back. "Snap out of it!" she yelled.**

**"He won't sign your sword," the poster nymph complained.**

The campers groaned.

"Oh-"

"My-"

"Gods-"

**"He won't marry you," said the iPhone girl. "And you can't take his bronze mirror! That's what keeps him here!"**

**"You're all ridiculous," Hazel said. "He's so full of himself! How can you possibly like him?"**

**"Like him," Echo sighed, still waving her hand in front of his face.**

**The others sighed along with her.**

**"I am so hot," Narcissus said sympathetically.**

**"Narcissus, listen." Hazel kept her sword at the ready. "Echo brought us here to help you. Didn't you, Echo?"**

**"Echo," said Echo.**

**"Who?" Narcissus said.**

"Jerk!" Aphrodite snapped and threw her hair brush at the book.

"Hey!" Poseidon protested.

**"The only girl who cares what happens to you, apparently," Hazel said. "Do you remember dying?"**

**Narcissus frowned. "I … no. That can't be right. I am much too important to die."**

"I really wish I was there now." Percy said.

"Why?" Piper asked.

"So I could've drowned him." Percy answered.

Campers rolled their eyes.

**"You died staring at yourself," Hazel insisted. "I remember the story now. Nemesis was the goddess who cursed you, because you broke so many hearts. Your punishment was to fall in love with your own reflection."**

**"I love me so, so much," Narcissus agreed.**

**"You finally died," Hazel continued. "I don't know which version of the story is true. You either drowned yourself or turned into a flower hanging over the water or—Echo, which is it?"**

Surprisingly, Drew sighed, "She can't tell you."

Campers looked at her like she had just kissed Leo.

"Did you slip something into her drink again man?" Travis whispered to Connor.

He shook his head and asked, "I thought you did."

**"Which is it?" she said hopelessly.**

**Leo stood. "It doesn't matter. The point is you're alive again, man. You have a second chance. That's what Nemesis was telling us. You can get up, and get on with your life. Echo is trying to save you. Or you can stay here and stare at yourself until you die again."**

"Die again!" Half the campers yelled.

"Let Echo save you!" The other half argued.

**"Stay here!" all the nymphs screamed.**

**"Marry me before you die!" another squeaked.**

"Oh yeah, he'll just do that."

**Narcissus shook his head. "You just want my reflection. I don't blame you, but you can't have it. I belong to me."**

"Okay. _Now _I want to shoot him with an arrow."

**Hazel sighed in exasperation. She glanced at the sun, which was sinking fast. Then she gestured with her sword toward the edge of the crater. "Leo, could we talk for a minute?"**

**"Excuse us," Leo told Narcissus. "Echo, want to come with?"**

**"Come with," Echo confirmed.**

"Good."

**The nymphs clustered around Narcissus again and began recording new videos and taking more photos.**

**Hazel led the way until they were out of earshot. "Nemesis was right," she said. "Some demigods can't change their nature. Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again."**

"Some people can't change their ways, even if they're given a second chance." Will said.

**"No," Leo said.**

**"No," Echo agreed.**

**"We need that bronze," Leo said. "If we take it away, it might give Narcissus a reason to snap out of it. Echo could have a chance to save him."**

Percy smiled, "Or you could hit him on the head with the bronze plate?"

"That weights like fifty pounds." Leo pointed out.

"So. More you can hit him with." Percy grinned.

**"A chance to save him," Echo said gratefully.**

"She still wants to save him. After everything, she still loves him." Chris said, astonished.

Annabeth shrugged and answered, "If you really love someone, nothing can stand in your away from finding them again."

When she spoke, she spoke mostly to Percy, who smiled in return.

**Hazel stabbed her sword in the sand. "It could also make several dozen nymphs very angry with us," she said. "And Narcissus might still know how to shoot his bow."**

"Not possible. That bows way too old to shoot. It will crumble in his manicured hands." Will said.

**Leo pondered that. The sun was just about down. Nemesis had mentioned that Narcissus got agitated after dark, probably because he couldn't see his reflection anymore. Leo didn't want to stick around long enough to find out what the goddess meant by agitated. He'd also had experience with mobs of crazed nymphs. He wasn't anxious to repeat that.**

The three busted out laughing and Chiron rolled his eyes.

**"Hazel," he said, "your power with precious metal— Can you just detect it, or can you actually summon it to you?"**

**She frowned. "Sometimes I can summon it. I've never tried with a piece of Celestial bronze that big before. I might be able to draw it to me through the earth, but I'd have to be fairly close. It would take a lot of concentration, and it wouldn't be fast."**

Campers groaned and they were glared at by the Seven.

"Why don't you try and save the world, and then you can complain."

The Seven snapped and the campers all winced, "Sorry."

**"Be fast," Echo warned.**

**Leo cursed. He had hoped they could just go back to the ship, and Hazel could teleport the Celestial bronze from a safe distance.**

Percy sighed, "I wish things were that easy. But they never are."

Annabeth nodded in agreement, "Especially with quests. Remember our first quest?"

Percy and Grover groaned, "We got attack like every minute of the every hour."

**"All right," he said. "We'll have to try something risky. Hazel, how about you try to summon the bronze from right here? Make it sink through the sand and tunnel over to you, then grab it and run for the ship."**

"Great plan." Percy commented, making Annabeth smack his arm.

"Like any of your plans are better."

"Oh, shut up Annabeth."

**"But Narcissus is looking at it all the time," she said.**

**"All the time," Echo echoed.**

**"That'll be my job," Leo said, hating his own plan already.**

"I hate all my plans." Percy muttered.

"Annabeth's the planner in the relationship." Travis smirked.

"Of course she is. If I were, we'd all be dead." Percy said and Annabeth rolled her eyes.

**"Echo and I will cause a distraction."**

**"Distraction?" Echo asked.**

**"I'll explain," Leo promised. "Are you willing?"**

"Hades no." The campers chorused.

**"Willing," Echo said.**

**"Great," Leo said. "Now, let's hope we don't die."**

"That would be great." Demeter said.

Poseidon raised the book and said, "Who wants to read next?"

Chiron stood up and said, "It's time for everyone to go to bed."

The campers groaned but no one argued.

They filed out of the Big House and the Seven all walked together to their cabins.

They all hugged and said their goodbyes, with cold air brushing against the ground.

Percy felt a shiver run down his spine as the cold air brushed against his leg, as if it were a cold hand, dragging him back into the earth.

"Percy? Are you okay?" Hazel asked.

He nodded and smiled, "Good night."

**Like it? Review please and I hope you like my next chapter. It took like 3 days to get it right. :**)

**-BlackConverse3**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey! I hope you like this chapter, it was hard to write. It focuses on Percy's wounds...mainly and there's Percabeth near the middle and end. Thank you to all the reviewers, because if you guys weren't there, I wouldn't have the drive to continue this story. This stories for you! :**)

The moonlight lit the room and casted shadows across the floor. Percy laid on his bed, staring up at the top bunk. He laid there quietly, listening to the branches of the trees scratching against the window and the smell of fresh blood filled his nose, making him shiver. He rolled over onto his side and let out a sigh, trying to push out the memories.

_Regrets collect like old friends_

Percy listened intently to the song stuck in his head. It was something like, _Shake it Out _by this artist he couldn't remember the name of. It made him feel sick to his stomach and he quickly sat up on his bed, feeling light-headed. His fingers curled around the edge of the mattress, wrinkling the silk blue sheets.

_Here to relive your darkest moments_

_I can see no way, I can see no way_

_And all of the ghouls come out to play_

He remember the fall, it was hard and extremely painful , like a thousand knives had been embedded into his skin. Percy tightened his grip on the sheets, feeling pressure pushing against his spine, making it harder and harder to breath. He felt like he was suffocating, the dark shadows in his room were closing in on him.

_Nothing's here Percy._ He scolded himself. But he took in a shaky breath, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight. The nightmares were almost unbearable. And the fact that, he and Annabeth both knew...that they had to go back.

After seeing his friends and family, they had to go back to that _hellhole. _

_And every demon wants him pound of flesh_

_My dear. You don't look so good. What's wrong my little pawn? _ Gaea's voice echoed across the cold walls of Percy's cabin.

_Percy and Annabeth stood back to back, their weapons drawn as growls and snarls came from the darkness._ _"Their coming." Annabeth whispered, her voice was quivering with fear as she tightened her grip on her dagger, which she found a few moments ago. Percy gripped her hand tightly in his own and said, "I know. Just keep close to me." He turned and gazed at the daughter of Athena. "I'm not losing you again." She nodded and Percy turned his head away. She quickly whipped her tears away with Percy's jacket sleeve and whispered, "To the right. Percy, they're-" Her eyes grew wide as monsters: Hellhounds, A Manticore, Pit Scorpions, Scythi an Dracanae, Empousa, The Minotaur and hundreds of other monsters came towards them, a few forked tongues flickering though their teeth like they couldn't wait to tear apart the demigods flesh. Percy let out a short yell before uncapping his sword and leaping into battle, with Annabeth following him immediately. _

_But I like to keep some things to myself_

_I like to keep my issues drawn_

Percy closed his eyes and muttered, "They can't find out. They can't find out what happened." He didn't know what he would do if the other campers figured out what had happened to him and Annabeth, where they had been. He felt his heart hammering against his chest, threatening to burst out of his skin.

_It's always darkest before the dawn_

Percy opened his eyes and gazed outside, a sea breeze was guided through the open window and brushed against his cheek, feeling like a caress of his mother's hand. Suddenly, pain ripped though his chest and he gasped at the intensity, making him fall off the edge of his bed and onto his knees, onto the floor. It felt like fire was coursing through his veins and it was so painful, he wanted to scream but he held his tongue to keep from crying out.

_And I've been a fool and I've been blind_

_I can never leave the past behind_

_I can see no way, I can see no way_

_I'm always dragging that horse around_

Metal claws crawled up his back, reopening his wounds and making that horrible scratching sound against the ground. Hot breath breathed onto his neck, smelling of rotten fish and freshly slipped blood. Percy shivered as he could feel the bronze knife trail down his back, tracing across the gauze that was placed over the worst cut on his back, the deepest one.

The one from _the fall._

_And our love has pastured such a mournful sound _

_Tonight I'm going to bury that horse in the ground_

He could hear her screams echoing inside his head. Her pleads and the sound of bronze against bronze. The loud thump of her heart as she watched the monsters surround them. He could feel it.

Her heartbeat trailed through her whole body and he felt it through her fingertips, which were clamped firmly around his left hand. He wouldn't let go of her.

He _couldn't. _

_So I like to keep my issues drawn_

_But it's always darkest before the dawn_

_Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ohh woah_

_Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ohh woah_

He remember everything, every detail of the monsters, every single moment of pain.

_The knife curled softly under his chin as the Empousa purred softly, "It's alright, my handsome hero. You'll join her soon. I promise." She dug the knife into his cheek, making him let out a hiss of pain. _

_"Stop it! Stop it please!" Annabeth begged from the right, her steel grey eyes were filled with desperation. _

_"Keep that girl quiet!" The sound of chains rattling echoed across the chamber and a pained grunt followed soon after. _

_Percy snarled, "Let her go! Now!"_

_The Empousa turned and smacked the back of her hand across his face._

_Percy said, his voice filled with barley suppressed rage, "Stay the hell away from my girl. Of I swear to the gods-" _

_Annabeth closed her eyes, trying not to cry out as the rusty nail dug into her palm. She had tears in her eyes as she watched the monster attack Percy, who had managed to get out of the chair he was in. He somersaulted over the Empousa's head and landed on her back, swinging the bronze chains around her neck and yanking backwards, bringing them both to the ground. He tucked into a back-roll and came up standing. The monster went towards Percy, brandishing a golden sword. Despite being exhausted and half-dead, Percy was still a formidable fighter. He slashed and parried at the monster, easily slashing and making it explode into dust. _

_But another monster came and Percy misjudged his footing from being exhausted and a sword stabbed straight through the back of his knee. He let out a pained scream and was shoved into the ground._

_"You cannot save them all Perseus Jackson." A voice echoed across the chamber. _

_Annabeth let out silent cry, unable to find her voice because the stench of blood was choking her. _

_Only one word came from her lips._

_One word._

_Over and over again. _

_Percy._

Percy gazed down, looking at the new scar on his forearm.

It was in written with a bronze dagger, _**Annabeth's dagger**_, and Percy kept quiet the whole time. Knowing there was nothing he could do.

Scrawling into his arm, it wrote _I Vow,_ _Loyal Till Death. _And at the end was a signature carved into his arm with Pit Scorpion venom, making it permanent, like the tattoo on his other forearm.

It hurt so bad. He wanted to make the pain stop but he felt paralyzed, like he couldn't move.

_And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back_

_So shake him off, oh woah_

He remember fighting through monster after monster. No how many seemed to exploded into dust, even more took its place. Their bladed never ceased moving, parrying and slashing. In sync with each other, that they seemed to morph into one person. As Percy would duck to get a monster's legs, Annabeth slashed with an overhead cut a few inches from his back at another monster. They twirled around each other, stabbing through each other's arms and each step was like a dance.

It _never_ seemed to stop.

_And I am done with my graceless heart_

_So tonight I'm going to cut it out and then restart _

_Cause I like to keep my issues drawn_

_It's always darkest before the dawn_

Annabeth appeared in his mind, scared and shaken up. Her curly blonde hair was messy and dirt, her face covered in grim and monster dust. That was when he realized something important.

_"Annabeth-" He began but she quickly cut him off. Her words were to surprising to him, he almost dropped Riptide into a crevice gapping at his feet. _

_"I love you." Her words were hesitant and she averted her eyes to the ground, like she was afraid of his answer. _

_Percy just stared at her and said, quietly, "I know. I love you, Wise Girl." _

_A smile flickered across her face, hearing her old nickname and she whispered, "You love me?" _

_Percy raised her chin and grinned, "I think I have for awhile now. Like a few years." _

_Even though, they were both exhausted and ready to drop-dead, Annabeth began giggling and they both broke into fits of laughter. _

_It echoed across the dark blood covered floor and they laughed as they cried. _

_After a few minutes, Percy leaned towards her and kissed her forehead softly and said softly, "We'll get out of here. I promise. Nothing is going to happen to you."_

_Annabeth rested her forehead against his and whispered, "I know." Percy whipped her tears from her cheeks as she did the same for him and they both stood up, fingers entwined tightly and Percy smiled, "Hey Annabeth? Did I ever tell you, you're a genius?" _

_She smiled at him and said, "You could stand to mention it more often."_

_With a laugh, Percy capped his sword and together they raced through the darkness, still holding hands. _

_Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah  
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah_  
_And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back_

The son of Poseidon smiled slightly, remembering that night...or day. It was hard to tell when everything around you is dark.

He felt like it was the first time he smiled since his journey through Tartarus.

Even though it wasn't a real smile, it was a start.

That was when his cabin door opened and he leaped to his feet, uncapping Riptide, his heart hammering against his chest.

"Who's there?" He growled, his bronze sword glowing dangerously in the faint moonlight.

"Percy? Are you okay?" A girl's voice said quietly through the darkness and Percy felt a hand rest on his own.

But he didn't pull away. It wasn't like the cold he was feeling a few moments ago.

It wasn't that steady careful hand, only wanting to cause absolute pain.

It was warm and small, and as it trailed up his bare arm, he shivered at the warmth, making goose bumps appear under where she had touch.

Fingers brushed against his neck softly and Percy looked down, feeling warm breath on the side of his jaw.

"Annabeth?" He whispered, keeping one hand on his sword warily.

_So shake him off, ooh woah! _

_And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back_

_So shake him off_

"Of course it's me." A voice answered and Percy dropped his sword, making a _clattering _sound against the ground.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and listened to his heart beating like a drum inside his chest.

It felt like it was going to burst any second.

"Percy." She whispered and asked quietly, "What happened?"

"I remembered." Was his only answer, his voice hoarse as if he were far away.

She tightened her grip on him when she could feel him trembling slightly.

He said nothing. _Of course, _he said _nothing._

Percy was a lot like most guys in a lot of ways. When he as in pain or hurting, emotionally or physically, he sucked it up and put on a brave face for everyone who depended on him as a leader.

But because of Percy's fatal flaw, it was even worse. He would do _anything _for someone he loved or even a stranger, risking his life in a heartbeat.

_And given half the chance would I take any of it back_

_It's a fine romance but its left me so undone_

_It's always darkest before the dawn_

She _**hated**_ seeing him like this. Seeing him so...undone.

Annabeth knew that he would _never _be like this in front of anyone else.

But since she was with him every single step of the way, he felt like he could.

Anger welled up inside of her, making her feel like she wanted to scream at the gods once she walked in the door for the reading tomorrow.

_Oh woah, Oh woah_

_And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't_

_So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road_

_And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope_

She felt pain flare up in her chest at what she remembered from Tartarus.

Having to watch Percy being tortured was one of the hardest and most painful things she's ever had to do. And how he was quiet almost the whole time, his eyes closed and his lips moving in a silent pray to the gods. She had to bit her lip to not cry when she recognized her name being whispered by Percy.

Praying to the gods, _all the gods_, Roman and Greek, to save her. He prayed to her mother and his father, he prayed to Hades, Hermes and to Artemis.

She turned her head away when he let out a scream, withering and trying to get out of her bonds to make them stop.

She pleaded to be tortured instead of him.

But he turned his head and gave her a hard glare, his sea-green eyes filled with pain and anger. His look was easy to translate.

_Just shut up. If one of us goes down, it's going to be me._

_Annabeth gazed at the dark red blood dripping on to the floor and the puddle of water, so clear it was like a mirror. _

_She gazed into it, watching and crying out as the image of his arm was slammed into the ground and Annabeth's own dagger being brought onto the tan and already bruised flesh. _

_Once they managed to escape the monster's grasp, she tried to apologize but Percy just looked at her and rolled his eyes, putting his arm around her and steadying her as they walked carefully through the dark. _

_She remembered feeling the wet blood through her shirt as he wrapped his arm around her waist, feeling his muscles tensing now and then and she watched him flex his wrist a few times, as if it was killing him._

_Which, it probably was. _

_It's a shot in the dark and right at my throat_

Percy pulled away from Annabeth and sat on the edge of his bed, running his fingers through his hair to "tame" the wild raven black hair.

Annabeth sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder and after a few moments, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Percy shook his head and looked at her through the corner of his eye, "No. Not right now. Not in the dark."

She nodded and Percy wrapped his arm around her, the same way he had done down in the _hellhole. _

She could feel the very slight outline of his scar, through the thin material of her dark grey undershirt. She gazed at him as he moved his pale green T-Shirt, covering the wound on the base collarbone, that traced up a few inches to the side of his neck, in a wave pattern, though it was unnoticeable unless you have the right lighting to see it against his tanned skin.

_"Let's give you a tattoo. In a wave pattern, so everyone knows you're a son of Neptune. It'll always be there, it'll just look different." _

Annabeth gritted her teeth and clenched her hand into a tight fist.

_Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me_

_Looking for heaven, found the devil in me_

_Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me_

A calloused hand covered her own and she turned and looked at Percy, whose face was emotionless but his eyes were edged with worry and exhaustion.

Annabeth caressed his cheek softly and whispered, "It won't ever be the same. Will it?"

He gripped her hand and replied, "I don't think it will. But at least your alive, and that's all I care about."

Annabeth gently kissed him once and smiled slightly, "You are overprotective."

Percy rolled his eyes and let out a light laugh, that warmed Annabeth down to her toes, "Yeah. I guess I am."

_Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah!_

_Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah!_

_And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back_

_So shake him off, oh woah!_

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah!

_Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah!_

_And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back_

_So shake him off, oh woah!_

Annabeth smiled, happy to see a smile flicker in his sea-green eyes.

A knock sounded at the door and Jason, Leo and Frank walked in, flickering on the light.

Leo immediately covered his eyes and said, "Gods, you two. Next time, lock the door."

Annabeth and Percy both grew red and Percy argued, "We weren't doing _anything _Leo!"

The son of Jupiter chuckled and said, "I'm am _so_ telling Piper and Hazel about this."

Annabeth glared at him and Percy just rolled his eyes and fell back onto his bed.

"Whatever. Go ahead."

Annabeth smacked his face with a pillow and turned and glared at the three boys, "I was just leave." She stood up but Percy seized her wrist and muttered, "I don't want you to go. I don't want to be alone right now."

The other three boys heard Percy and sent each other guilty looks. They guessed the reason Annabeth had come into Percy's cabin at 3 in the morning, why both of them looked distressed. They had probably remembered...

Jason couldn't even say the _name _of the place without feeling guilty.

But when all three of them had tried to apologize, Percy threatened to drown them in the lake if they didn't stop feeling sorry about it.

"It was _my choice_. There was _no way_ I would _ever _l be separated from Annabeth again. So stop apologizing and stop saying you could've done something. I swear to the gods, the next demigod who apologizes for what happened, I'll-" He stopped talking when Annabeth back up behind him and gave all of the remaining Seven, a warning glare that said it all.

_Bring it up, and I'll kill you, bring you back so the prophecy can be completed and then I'll kill you again._

Frank nudged Leo and said, "Oh, we just forgot to give you this Percy. You forgot it in the Big House." he handed Percy a cheap ballpoint pen and Percy raised his eyebrow.

"Okay, now your being ridiculous. Not _every stupid_ ballpoint pen is my swor-"

"Bye, sleep well you two." Leo interrupted Percy and Jason shoved the boy out of the door.

Jason stopped at the open door and looked back.

Annabeth had her elbows resting on Percy's stomach, her feet up in the air and they were laughing quietly, Annabeth brushing his messy hair off of his forehead and Percy smiling up at her.

Jason smiled before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

**Like it? Review please and I'll update sometime next week! **

**Love, **

**BlackConverse3 **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School. **

A hand pressed against his cheek as he stirred. "Ungh..." He said loudly as the hand brushed against his jaw and a voice whispered, "Percy, wake up. Percy." A hand gripped his bicep and his eyes flew open and he quickly sat up.

_Pain seared through his arms, remembering the cold chains being against his arms, straining them back against his shoulders._

"Percy!" Annabeth appeared in his vision and she pinned his against his bed as he struggled, his eyes flaring with anger.

"Percy." She said again and his hands gripped her shoulders, pressure forcefully pushing her away and his fingers pressing hard against her shoulder blades.

After a few seconds, he loosened his grip on her shoulders and stared at her shocked face, breathing hard and a bead of sweat beating down his neck.

He stared at her for a moment and pulled her towards him, into a tight hug.

"Oh, gods. I'm _so_ sorry. Are you okay? Annabeth, gods I-" He stumbled over his words until she pressed her finger against his lips and said, "It's okay. You didn't hurt me."

"I'm so sorry-"

"If you apologize to me once more, I will _slap_ you. People _should be apologizing to us_ Percy, not the other way around!"

He winced and said, "Sor-Um...okay." He kept his arms around her and Annabeth let out a sigh, staring outside.

"I just want to stay here." She muttered.

Percy let out a laugh and teased, tugging playfully at one of her curls, "Does Annabeth Chase want to break the rules?"

"Didn't I just break the rules by staying here last night?" She asked, staring into his sea-green eyes.

He chuckled, "Yeah, but we were just sleeping so...that's technically not breaking any rules. You can sneak back into your cabin before anyone notices."

She smacked his arm and pulled away from him, sitting down opposite of him. "Seaweed Brain." She muttered and he smirked.

"Did I ever tell you, your absolutely amazing?"

"Yep." She replied and hopped off of his bed before scooping up a dark blue sweatshirt and pulled it over her Camp Half-Blood shirt. "Come on. Get dressed. Breakfast is soon." Annabeth kissed his cheek and she whispered, "I love you."

Percy felt his cheeks heat up and he said quietly, "Love you to. I'll see you at breakfast."

The daughter of Athena nodded and whisked quickly out into the dark world outside, leaving behind her sweet lemon shampoo smell.

Percy glanced at the clock. _6:23. _He groaned and slumped back into his bed, covering his face with the covers.

After a few hours past and Percy could hear campers stirring in their cabins, he sat up in his bed and yawned widely.

Percy walked to the back of his cabin and opened the windows, letting the cool air blow against his skin, calming him down slightly. After a few minutes, he walked towards his wardrobe, pulled out a long sleeve shirt, khaki cargo shorts and some socks. Once he changed, he pulled on his Hi-Top Converse and walked out of his cabin. He felt nervous for some reason as he stepped out of the shadows, every single head turned and looked at him. He sat down at his table before turning and ordering, "Go back to your breakfast." They began muttering among themselves, while the younger campers stared at Percy in awe.

After breakfast, they walked towards the Big House, Percy draped his arm around Annabeth's waist and whispered into her ear, "Annabeth? Promise me something?" She turned towards him, her grey eyes questioning, "What?"

"Promise me that you'll always be with me. No matter what happens during this war, even if I die an-" "Percy." Annabeth whispered and shook her head, "You won't-"

"Even if I die, promise me, that we'll always be together. That if we both make it through this war, that you'll be with me. Please, promise me."

Annabeth stared at her boyfriend for a moment and whispered, "Always, Percy. Always."

Percy visibly relaxed and smiled, "Good."

All the campers walked into the Big House, taking their seats.

"Percy. Why're you wearing that? It's really warm." Katie asked Percy, who was wearing a long sleeve white shirt with three buttons at the top, which looked really good against his tanned skin and muscular chest and arms.

He shrugged and said, "Just because." Once everyone settled down, Poseidon asked., "Who wants to read?" Hermes raised his hand and the sea god tossed the book to him and he opened the book and began.

**Leo VIII**

**Leo psyched himself up for an extreme makeover.**

Campers chuckled and Leo broke into a wide smirk.

"That makeover made me look good." He ran his fingers through his curly brown hair.

Aphrodite smiled and raised her hands, her fingers in snapping position.

"Mother!" Piper complained.

Aphrodite pouted at her daughter but lowered her perfectly manicured hand.

**He summoned some breath mints and a pair of welding goggles from his tool belt. The goggles weren't exactly sunglasses, but they'd have to do.**

Campers whistled and Leo stood up and bowed, "Thank you, thank you. I'd like to thank-"

A pair of welding goggles were shot over the room and knocked Leo onto the floor.

"Shut up Leo!" Clarisse yelled.

"Thank you. I'd like to thank my amazing violent girlfriend." Chris said, standing up and bowing to the whistling campers.

Clarisse pulled him back down but a smile flickered across her face.

**He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He used some machine oil to grease back his hair. **

"Ew." Drew scowled and several campers rolled their eyes.

"I think it's cute." Annabeth said and Leo broke into a wide grin and smirked at Percy.

"Your girlfriend thinks I'm cute."

Percy returned the look and said, "She thinks I'm gorgeous." **(A/N: I think your gorgeous Percy! If I didn't love Percabeth so much, I would****_ so_**** marry you!) **

"Besides, I can't slick back my hair anyway. It's too messy to do that." Percy added, running his fingers once through his raven black hair.

**He stuck a wrench in his back pocket (why exactly, he wasn't sure) and he had Hazel draw a tattoo on his biceps with a marker: HOT STUFF, with a skull and crossbones.**

"Why would you stick a wrench in your back pocket?" Will asked, trying not to laugh.

"I don't know...a weapon in case I need it?"

Piper laughed, "Who keeps a weapon in their back pocket?"

Percy raised his hand and pulled out Riptide and wiggled it in the air.

"Oh...well your swords a pen. And it's designed to be in your pocket." Piper said.

"Keep reading." Hades told Hermes.

**"What in the world are you thinking?" She sounded pretty flustered.**

**"I try not to think," Leo admitted. "It interferes with being nuts.-**

"No truer words said, man." Percy said and Leo and him High-fived, grinning at each other.

"You never think Seaweed Brain." Thalia said in a mocking voice.

"Yes your right Thalia, darling. So that makes me completely nuts...Hey! I think sometimes!" Percy protested.

Annabeth smirked, "Uhuh. Sure you do."

Campers chuckled as Percy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, glaring at Hermes to keep reading.

**-Just concentrate on moving that Celestial bronze. Echo, you ready?"**

**"Ready," she said.**

"So...is the in love with a total jackass a seasonal thing with her? If so, do you remember the island you went to?" Connor asked suddenly.

Campers all turned and looked at him strangely.

"Sorry...just-Nevermind." He muttered.

** Leo took a deep breath. He strutted back toward the pond, hoping he looked awesome and not like he had some sort of nervous affliction. "Leo is the coolest!" he shouted.**

"Leo is the coolest!" Leo yelled.

"Jason is the coolest!" Jason smirked.

"Frank is the coolest!" Hazel laughed.

"The person who shuts up and lets Hermes reads this book is the coolest." Percy said.

Annabeth chuckled and said, her voice edged with laughter, "Continue Hermes."

**"Leo is the coolest!" Echo shouted back.**

**"Yeah, baby, check me out!"**

"They sound like the Party Ponies." Grover muttered, causing Apollo to chuckle.

"Ah, the Party Ponies. Gotta love them."

**"Check me out!" Echo said.**

**"Make way for the king!"**

**"The king!"**

"Hey! I'm the King!" Zeus argued and Poseidon muttered, "Yeah, The King of Stupidity."

Hades and the demigods laughed and Zeus glared at his brother.

"Shut it, Sea Spawn!"

"Oh, just bite me." Poseidon said and then winked at Percy, who was trying not to laugh.

**"Narcissus is weak!"**

"Weak!" Everyone, not including the gods, yelled.

**"Weak!"**

The campers all looked at each other and Leo piped up, "At least you're not thinking like Nar."

"Or you?" Jason teased.

"Oh, shut up Sparky."

**The crowd of nymphs scattered in surprise. Leo shooed them away as if they were bothering him. "No autographs, girls. I know you want some Leo time, but I'm way too cool. You better just hang around that ugly dweeb Narcissus. He's lame!"**

Leo smiled and everyone looked at his expression before busting out laughing.

"Gods, Leo."

"You are amazing." Piper smiled.

**"Lame!" Echo said with enthusiasm.**

**The nymphs muttered angrily.**

**"What are you talking about?" one demanded.**

**"You're lame," said another.**

"Yeah, but lame is the new hot!" Leo yelled.

"Does anyone have any duct tape?"

**Leo adjusted his goggles and smiled. He flexed his biceps, though he didn't have much to flex,** **and showed off his HOT STUFF tattoo.**

Hazel rolled her eyes and laughed along with Frank.

"That is embarrassing." Will said.

"Shut up, Will." Leo said.

**He had the nymphs' attention, if only because they were stunned; but Narcissus was still fixed on his own reflection.**

**"You know how ugly Narcissus is?" Leo asked the crowd. "He's so ugly, when he was born his mama thought he was a backward centaur—with a horse butt for a face."**

That caused another round of laughter to go through everyone in the room.

Though, Chiron looked a little miffed and he said, "What's wrong with centaurs?"

Leo bit his lip and said, stifling his laughter, "Nothing. It's just a joke."

**Some of the nymphs gasped. Narcissus frowned, as though he was vaguely aware of a gnat buzzing around his face.**

Thalia rolled her eyes and muttered, "If only I was there with my Hunters."

The Hunters all sighed and muttered something about buys being stupid.

The guys in the room, were smart enough, mostly from experience, not to argue with them.

**"You know why his bow has cobwebs?" Leo continued. "He uses it to hunt for dates, but he can't find one!"**

Annabeth rolled her eyes and said, "Your jokes are as bad as Percy's."

"Hey! You like my jokes!" Percy protested.

The corner of her lip was twitching as she fought a smile and answered him, "Your jokes are so stupid that they're funny."

**(A/N: Do you ever do that? When someone says a really stupid joke and you burst out laughing in a quiet classroom? Because the joke is so stupid, it's funny? Or someone told you a joke the day before and you didn't get it, and then you start laughing the next day because you get it? I do that a lot...) **

Percy rolled his eyes but smiled.

**One of the nymphs laughed. The others quickly elbowed her into silence.**

"Score one for Leo!" Leo cheered.

"Score ten for Percy because he puts up with Annabeth." Travis yelled.

The room became silent as Percy and Annabeth both glared at the son of Hermes.

"Did I say that out loud?" He muttered to Chris, who was holding back his laughter.

"Yeah, you did. I would run if I were you."

"Mother!" Travis leaped to his feet and jumped out of the window, Jack Sparrow Style.

Annabeth raised her eyebrow and said, "I don't even have my dagger with me right now."

Percy chuckled.

"Gods, I freaking love you Annabeth Chase."

**Narcissus turned and scowled at Leo. "Who are you?"**

**"I'm the Super-sized McShizzle, man!" Leo said.**

"That makes Percy, McSteamy." (A/N: Anyone watched Grey's Anatomy? :))

"No, wouldn't Leo be McSteamy because he has fire powers?" Chris pointed out.

"But when Percy comes in contact with some hot water, it streams if he turns it to cold water."

"McGorgeous?"

"McHottie?"

"Mc-Shut-the-Hades-up-before-I-shut-you-up-myself? " Percy suggested.

"Percy!" Annabeth scolded him before smacking his shoulder.

**"I'm Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme. And the ladies love a bad boy."**

"Like a certain daughter of Athena we all know?" Will suggested.

Annabeth scoffed and said, "Percy isn't a-"

She blinked for a moment and then smiled, "Okay. Fine, Percy's a bad boy."

Percy raised one eyebrow and said, "Oh sure. Just because I'm reckless, defiant, impertinent and I've been kicked out of 9 schools, most of which are caused by explosions, and was part of a manhunt when I was 12-Oh...okay, I see what you mean."

Campers chuckled as Piper gapped at Percy, "How many schools have you been kicked out of?"

"9." Percy replied.

"You were right Annabeth. What I've done is nothing compared to Percy." Piper told Annabeth, who grinned.

"Told you."

**"Love a bad boy!" Echo said, with a convincing squeal.**

"See, girls. This book is giving fantastic advice. _Love a bad boy. Flip you boyfriend onto concrete when you see him after 7 month, but don't forget to kiss him first." _Connor said.

**Leo took out a pen and autographed the arm of one of the nymphs. "Narcissus is a loser! He's so weak, he can't bench-press a Kleenex.-**

Percy chuckled, "Leo, you can bench-press a tissue box."

Everyone laughed at Percy's comment and Leo rolled his eyes, "How much can you bench-press, Captain Saltwater?"

"Normally, about 100 to 120. With my Curse, about 240, without trying." Percy answered.

Leo blinked and then turned to Annabeth, "How much does Percy weigh?"

"I don't know...like 130. He's 6'0 though."

**He's so lame, when you look up lame on Wikipedia, it's got a picture of Narcissus—only the picture's so ugly, no one ever checks it out."**

**Narcissus knit his handsome eyebrows. His face was turning from bronze to salmon pink. For the moment, he'd totally forgotten about the pond, and Leo could see the sheet of bronze sinking into the sand.**

"Good. Grab it!"

**"What are you talking about?" Narcissus demanded. "I am amazing. Everyone knows this."**

**"Amazing at pure suck," Leo said. "If I was as suck as you, I'd drown myself. Oh wait, you already did that."**

"BURN!" The campers screamed.

The Seven were laughing and Piper said, "I didn't know you had a sense of humor that good."

"Thanks. I was on the spot."

**Another nymph giggled. Then another.**

"My gods, Leo." Hazel said, laughing at the memory.

**Narcissus growled, which did make him look a little less handsome.**

"Not many guys can look handsome angry." Drew pointed out.

Campers were being to agree with her when she smiled at Percy, "Except for Percy, of course."

**(A/N: I think Percy does look handsome angry. Because when I imagine it, it's like...amazing. Why am I writing so many of these...)**

**Meanwhile Leo beamed and wiggled his eyebrows over his goggles and spread his hands, gesturing for applause.**

Once Hermes read that, Campers and a few gods began applauding and cheering.

**"That's right!" he said. "Team Leo for the win!"**

"Team Leo!" Connor yelled, running back into the room and diving into a bunch of pillows behind Chris.

"Did she get out her dagger?" He whispered to Chris.

"No, she never had it." Chris answered.

"Damn." Connor muttered.

**"Team Leo for the win!" Echo shouted. She'd wriggled into the mob of nymphs, and because she was so hard to see, the nymphs apparently thought the voice came from one of their own.**

"Nice tactic." Ares and Athena said at the same time.

The wisdom's goddess turned and scowled.

Ares rolled his eyes and Apollo looked like he was trying not to laugh.

**"Oh my god, I am so awesome!" Leo bellowed.**

**"So awesome!" Echo yelled back.**

**"He is funny," a nymph ventured.**

**"And cute, in a scrawny way," another said.**

Leo smiled and Jason chuckled.

"Wow, you're really proud of that aren't you?"

"Of course! Scrawny is the new sizzling HOT baby!" He ruffled Jason's well managed hair and Jason swatted his hands away, quickly fixing his hair.

Aphrodite snapped her fingers and Jason's hair went back to normal, being well trimmed and short.

"Thanks...I guess." Jason said to her.

"No problem dear." She smiled at the son of Jupiter.

**"Scrawny?" Leo asked. "Baby, I invented scrawny. Scrawny is the new sizzling hot. And I GOT the scrawny. Narcissus? He's such a loser even the Underworld didn't want him. He couldn't get the ghost girls to date him."**

**"Eww," said a nymph.**

**"Eww!" Echo agreed.**

"Eww." Travis said in a very girly voice and began swatting at the air.

"What in Hades is tickling me!" He yelled.

Katie was sitting next to him, smirking as she moved her fingers softly against a pillow she was holding, making barely visible vines, which have been brushing against Travis's skin, for the past hour.

Demeter smirked at Hermes, who scowled back at her.

**"Stop!" Narcissus got to his feet. "This is not right! This person is obviously not awesome, so he must be…" He struggled for the right words. It had probably been a long time since he'd talked about anything other than himself. "He must be tricking us."**

"Now he gets it." Artemis scowled.

"Men." The Hunters said.

**Apparently Narcissus wasn't completely stupid.**

Percy shrugged, "Not completely convinced."

**Realization dawned on his face. He turned back to the pond. "The bronze mirror is gone! My reflection! Give me back to me!"**

**"Team Leo!" one of the nymphs squeaked. But the others returned their attention to Narcissus.**

"That one nymph is so concentrated on Leo that she doesn't notice Nar." Katie laughed.

"Yeah baby! Team Leo!" Leo screamed, along with the Seven.

**"I'm the beautiful one!" Narcissus insisted.**

"Nah." Jason said.

"Aphrodite's the beautiful one." One boy said, staring dreamily at the goddess.

Aphrodite smiled at him and Piper looked like she was going to be sick.

"Eww."

**"He's stolen my mirror, and I'm going to leave unless we get it back!"**

"Damn. And no one _ever_ wants that." Percy said sarcastically.

**The girls gasped. One pointed. "There!"**

**Hazel was at the top of the crater, running away as fast as she could while lugging a large sheet of bronze.**

"Run Hazel!" The campers yelled.

"She can't run every fast carrying a sheet of bronze!" Frank argued.

**"Get it back!" cried a nymph.**

**Probably against her will, Echo muttered, "Get it back."**

"That just sucks so much." Katie muttered.

**"Yes!" Narcissus unslung his bow and grabbed an arrow from his dusty quiver.**

Will got a strange glint in his eyes as he smirked, "Go ahead. Shoot it."

Apollo smirked at his son and Artemis raised one eyebrow.

"What's wrong with you two?"

"I think Apollo finally infected Will! The horror!" Travis yelled.

** "The first one who gets that bronze, I will like you almost as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!"**

"Or, better idea here, break his neck." Clarisse said.

The Ares campers brought up a cheer and, to their surprise, the other campers and Hunters joined them, chanting.

"Break his face!"

"Take his mirror!"

"Eat him!"

Everyone looked strangely at an Aphrodite girl, who blushed and ducked behind her siblings.

"Continue before this gets any weirder." Artemis told Hermes.

**"Oh my gods!" the nymphs screamed.**

**"And kill those demigods!" Narcissus added, glaring very handsomely at Leo. "They are not as cool as me!"**

The Campers scoffed. "Of course we're cooler than you!"

**Leo could run pretty fast when someone was trying to kill him. Sadly, he'd had a lot of practice.**

"So do I." Thalia answered.

"I don't. I've always fought back against everyone. Most of it is due to my temper." Percy said and Annabeth interlaced their fingers.

"Most demigods do have practice with running." Apollo said, causing the gods to wince.

**He took one side of the metal plate and glanced back. Narcissus was nocking an arrow, but it was so old and brittle, it broke into splinters.**

"HA!" Will, his siblings and Apollo screamed.

They all grinned like crazy.

**"Ow!" he yelled very attractively. "My manicure!"**

Campers and Hunters all laughed.

**Normally nymphs were quick—at least the ones at Camp Half-Blood were—but these were burdened with posters, T-shirts, and other Narcissus™ merchandise. The nymphs also weren't great at working as a team. They kept stumbling over one another, pushing and shoving. Echo made things worse by running among them, tripping and tackling as many as she could.**

"Yeah! Go Echo!"

**Still, they were closing rapidly.**

Campers and Hunter exchanged nervous looks.

** "Call Arion!" Leo gasped.**

**"Already did!" Hazel said.**

**They ran for the beach. They made it to the edge of the water and could see the Argo II, but there was no way to get there. It was much too far to swim, even if they hadn't been toting bronze.**

"If Percy was there. It would've been so much easier."

**Leo turned. The mob was coming over the dunes, Narcissus in the lead, holding his bow like a band major's baton. The nymphs had conjured assorted weapons. Some held rocks. Some had wooden clubs wreathed in flowers. A few of the water nymphs had squirt guns—which seemed not quite as terrifying—but the look in their eyes was still murderous.**

"Squirt Guns are terrifying." Connor said, shivering.

"Especially in the hands of Percy." Travis added.

Frank nodded and said, "I didn't think a garden hose was a scary weapon until Percy used one and made a sprinkler system explode."

Poseidon smiled at his son, who looked embarrassed as campers praised him.

** "Oh, man," Leo muttered, summoning fire in his free hand. "Straight-up fighting isn't my thing."**

**"Hold the Celestial bronze." Hazel drew her sword. "Get behind me!"**

**"Get behind me!" Echo repeated. The camouflaged girl was racing ahead of the mob now. She stopped in front of Leo and turned, spreading her arms as if she meant to personally shield him.**

"Awww..." Campers said, some even whipping their eyes.

Leo smiled sadly at the book and said, "Thank you, Echo."

**"Echo?" Leo could hardly talk with the lump in his throat. "You're one brave nymph."**

"She is." Jason agreed.

"The bravest." Leo said.

**"Brave nymph?" Her tone made it a question.**

**"I'm proud to have you on Team Leo," he said. "If we survive this, you should forget Narcissus."**

**"Forget Narcissus?" she said uncertainly.**

**"You're way too good for him."**

"Way to good." Percy agreed.

**The nymphs surrounded them in a semicircle.**

**"Trickery!" Narcissus said. "They don't love me, girls! We all love me, don't we?"**

**"Yes!" the girls screamed, except for one confused nymph in a yellow dress who squeaked, "Team Leo!"**

Leo grinned, "I love her the most."

"Oh Leo." Piper said.

**"Kill them!" Narcissus ordered.**

"No!" The gods yelled.

**The nymphs surged forward, but the sand in front of them exploded. Arion raced out of nowhere, circling the mob so quickly he created a sandstorm, showering the nymphs in white lime, spraying their eyes.**

"I love this horse!" Travis screamed.

"I know right." Katie said.

**"I love this horse!" Leo said.**

**The nymphs collapsed, coughing and gagging. Narcissus stumbled around blindly, swinging his bow like he was trying to hit a piñata.**

Campers chuckled.

"Nice description."

**Hazel climbed into the saddle, hoisted up the bronze, and offered Leo a hand.**

**"We can't leave Echo!" Leo said.**

Annabeth sighed, "You have to Leo."

**"Leave Echo," the nymph repeated.**

**She smiled, and for the first time Leo could clearly see her face. She really was pretty. Her eyes were bluer than he'd realized.**

"She is beautiful." Leo whispered, mostly to himself.

Jason put his hand on his shoulder and smiled, "You did what you had to."

**"Why?" Leo asked. "You don't think you can still save Narcissus …"**

**"Save Narcissus," she said confidently. And even though it was only an echo, Leo could tell that she meant it. She'd been given a second chance at life, and she was determined to use it to save the guy she loved—even if he was a completely hopeless (though very handsome) moron.**

Annabeth nodded and Percy smiled at her.

"She will save him. She has a good heart." Hades said.

**Leo wanted to protest, but Echo leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, then pushed him gently away.**

Percy nodded and said, "It's for the best."

Leo nodded, but his eyes were tinged with sadness.

**"Leo, come on!" Hazel called.**

**The other nymphs were starting to recover. They wiped the lime out of their eyes, which were now glowing green with anger. Leo looked for Echo again, but she had dissolved into the scenery.**

**"Yeah," he said, his throat dry. "Yeah, okay."**

**He climbed up behind Hazel. Arion took off across the water, the nymphs screaming behind them, and Narcissus shouting, "Bring me back! Bring me back!"**

"Idiot."

"Echo deserves better than that idiot." Leo agreed.

**As Arion raced toward the Argo II, Leo remembered what Nemesis had said about Echo and Narcissus: Perhaps they'll teach you a lesson.**

**Leo had thought she'd meant Narcissus, but now he wondered if the real lesson for him was Echo—invisible to her brethren, cursed to love someone who didn't care for her. A seventh wheel. He tried to shake that thought. He clung to the sheet of bronze like a shield.**

Several campers looked down.

**He was determined never to forget Echo's face. She deserved at least one person who saw her and knew how good she was.**

Artemis smiled and said, "She would like that."

**Leo closed his eyes, but the memory of her smile was already fading.**

Hermes closed the book and asked, "Who wants to read next?"

Hephaestus raised his hand and Hermes handed him the book.

He opened it to the right page and said, "**Piper IX**."

Just as he was about to read, a bright light flashed through the room once again, causing campers to look away.

Once it faded, campers blinked and saw a women and a man standing there.

Percy stood up immediately and gazed at the people, his sea-green eyes wide with disbelief.

The women was beautiful with long straight brown hair with a few grey strands in it and sparkling blue eyes that seemed to change color in the light. Bags rested under her beautiful eyes and she had worry lines around her eyes.

The man had salt-and-pepper colored hair and had the same worry lines on his face as the women.

The women gazed around the room, clearly shocked at the demigods holding weapons.

Jason stepped forward, ready to ask them what they were doing there, when Percy put his hand on his shoulder, pulling him back into the crowd of demigods.

The son of Poseidon stepped forward and said, his voice shaking slightly, "Mom? Paul?"

The two mortals, because it was obvious they were mortals, turned towards Percy and the women gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.

"Percy?" She whispered, her sparkling eyes turned watery and tears leaked down her face, like they had the day she learned, of her son's disappearance.

**I just had to add Sally and Paul. Like it? Review and I hope you have an awesome day! **

**-BlackConverse3 **


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey! Okay, I'm gonna start a new thing. Before every chapter, I'm going to write two quotes about writing that authors have carefully because they're helpful...most of them. :)**

_"The scariest moment is always just before you start." _

_"The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself."_

Percy stared at his mother and muttered, "Mom." She stared at him for a moment longer before running forward and tackling him with a tight hug. Percy held her close to him as she took his face in her hands, tears running down her face. "Oh, my baby. You alive."

Sally looked at the cuts and barley visible scars on his jaw, she noticed that he'd grown taller and more muscular. She also noted the bags under his eyes and stress lines marking his handsome face. She was about to ask him about it when his lips formed into his signature smile: sarcastic but exactly like a troublemakers. That was when she pulled away, whipped the tears away from her eyes and scolded, "Perseus Jackson! Where have you been! We've been worried sick! Annabeth has been searching across the whole country for you and so have Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary. The Hunters were searching for you as well and-" "Mom?" Percy interrupted her. She paused and looked up at her son.

The one thing that was different about him, he looked older. More mature, like he'd been through enough in his lifetime. Which, he has.

There wasn't that rebellious spark in his eyes right now, like he always had when he came into the kitchen when she was baking cookies and waited calmly before he swiped some from Paul's plate.

They looked...darker and more tired than usual. He looked like he's just been though hell.

"I missed you. Both of you." He said, casting a glance at Paul and smiling kindly. Sally kissed him on his forehead and smiled, "I missed you to sweetie. I'm so glad you're safe." She brushed a piece of his raven black locks from his forehead and smiled.

"I love you, Percy." She whispered and hugged him tightly once more and Paul walked over putting his arm around Percy's shoulders and around Sally. "I missed you, Percy. We were so worried."

Percy turned his head and smirked, "At least I didn't have enough time to figure out a way to get myself expelled."

Sally and Paul looked at each other and laughed, their eyes watering.

Paul hugged Percy and patted his back, "You've grown Percy."

Percy smiled at him and hugged him. "I love you both so much. It's good to see you."

Annabeth walked up and Sally gasped, "Annabeth! Oh dear, your safe!" She hugged the demigod and Annabeth smiled, before going to hug Paul as well. Thalia, Nico and Grover joined them as well, all of them hugging Sally, Thalia and Grover hugging Paul while Nico shook his hand.

"Are you sure your alright Percy?" Sally asked, her face creased with worry as he flexed his wrist once and he smiled at her, dropping his arm to his side, "Yeah, I'm fine Mom."

"Sally, keeping your son safe is a hard job." Annabeth said, smirking at Percy, who rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Annabeth."

"Percy! Don't speak to your girlfriend like that." Sally scolded, though she did it jokingly. Because she knew that because they were best friend first, they loved being at each other's throat and making the other annoyed.

(A/N: Don't say anything about the because in the beginning of that sentence. I love you guys but I just don't care. I'm tired.)

Annabeth chuckled when Percy threw up his hands and said, "Forget it."

"Who are you?" Zeus asked.

Sally bowed to him and said, "Sally Jackson, Perseus Jackson's mother. And this is Paul, my husband."

Paul bowed as well and Zeus nodded and said, "We are reading books about your son's adventures."

She nodded and Percy said, "Mom. This is Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite. Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus. **(A/N: First time I've ever spelled that right without using spell check! I'm so proud!)**

Jason Grace, son of Jupiter. Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto. Frank Zhang, son of Mars. And ugh...Coach Hedge, protector and satyr..."

Percy's mother smiled warmly and said, "It's nice to meet you."

That was when Jason stood up and said, "Hold up. Aren't you scared? Of Coach? He has goat legs and your mortal."

Sally Jackson smiled at him, "My son's best friend is a satyr, Jason Grace. And I can see through the Mist."

"Oh...that's cool." Jason said, and then sat back down. Poseidon beamed at her and said, "Sally. Lovely as ever."

She nodded to him and said, "Hi Lord Poseidon."

Percy then turned and sent his father a warning glare, who looked confused at Percy's look.

Hera elbowed Poseidon and hissed in his ear, "She has a husband idiot!"

"I know that." He protested weakly.

Sally turned and narrowed her eyes, "Hera."

"Mother of the Hero of Olympus."

They stared at each other until Percy flicked his hand behind his back, causing water to wrap around Hera's throne and yank her backward, making her fall onto the floor.

"So, let's get you a seat. Are you fine sitting next to demigods?"

"Of course, sweetie." She answered and he let her and Paul settle next to Thalia and the Hunters, who all nodded to Paul, surprisingly.

Hera scowled but got back onto her throne.

"So, continue Hephaestus." Percy said, once his family settled down.

He nodded and began.

**Piper IX**

Piper groaned. "Great, just great."

Leo whined, "No, I liked hearing my thoughts."

**Piper didn't want to use the knife.**

"No! You killed Jason!" Travis yelled and hugged Jason tightly.

"Jason it still alive idiot!" Thalia snapped at the Stoll brother.

"Well, no need to be so rude Thal-Thal."

Thalia's jaw twitched and she let out a growl, "_Thal-Thal? I am going shove my dagger up your-"_

Percy punched her in the shoulder and said, "Continue reading."

"Don't push you luck, Kelp Head." Thalia hissed.

"I would never."

**But sitting in Jason's cabin, waiting for him to wake up, she felt alone and helpless.**

"So did I." Leo answered.

**Jason's face was so pale, he might've been dead.**

Piper winced and Jason grabbed her hand.

"Hey, it's over Pipes. I'm fine."

She nodded but tightened her grip on his hand.

**She remembered the awful sound of that brick hitting his forehead—an injury that had happened only because he'd tried to shield her from the Romans.**

"Reminds me of a certain someone." Sally said, looking at Percy.

He raised his hands, "Hey, I only do that with Monsters, gods and Titans."

Sally rolled his eyes, "Because a brick is _so_ much worse than Titans, gods and monsters."

Jason looked between Percy and Sally and whispered to Piper, "I see where he got his sarcasm from."

"I'm pretty sure that's sarcasm is just a Percy trait." She answered.

**Even with the nectar and ambrosia they'd managed to force-feed him, Piper couldn't be sure he would be okay when he woke up.**

"I know what you mean Piper." Annabeth muttered.

Piper smiled at her friend and then smacked Percy on his arm.

"Hey!" He protested.

Jason leaned to her and whispered, "Why'd you do that?"

"Because Annabeth wouldn't do it. And she looks like when she did when Percy went missing."

**That would be the cruelest trick the gods had played on her yet, and they'd played some pretty cruel tricks.**

"They have." Sally said and glanced at Percy, who was fiddling with his shirt sleeve, like it was bugging him.

Percy looked up, seeing a lot of campers looking at him.

"Yeah, gods suck. That's nothing new." He said, going back to tugging at his sleeve.

Annabeth grabbed his hand and whispered, "Does it hurt?"

"Yeah, and it feels like something is crawling in my skin." He answered quietly.

She yanked his hand as it went back to his forearm and glared at him, "Stop doing that."

"Sorry." He muttered as she gave his hand a squeeze.

**She heard Gleeson Hedge in his room next door, humming a military song—"Stars and Stripes Forever," maybe? Since the satellite TV was out, the satyr was probably sitting on his bunk reading back issues of Guns & Ammo magazine. He wasn't a bad chaperone, but he was definitely the most warlike old goat Piper had ever met.**

Sally raised her eyebrow, "You have a gun enthused satyr on a quest to rescue my son?"

Chiron smiled at her and said, "It seemed a good idea at the time, Sally."

**Of course she was grateful to the satyr. He had helped her dad, movie actor Tristan McLean, get back on his feet after being kidnapped by giants the past winter. A few weeks ago, Hedge had asked his girlfriend, Mellie, to take charge of the McLean household so he could come along to help with this quest.**

"That's nice of him." Paul said uncertainly.

"It is." Piper replied.

"He has a good heart." Grover said.

Coach Hedge smiled and said, "Of course I do cupcake. Who's the mortal?"

Paul looked offended and he said, "Excuse me?"

"Ugh, Coach, this is my stepdad, Paul. Paul, Coach Hedge." Percy said quickly.

Coach Hedge snorted and said, "So he got his bad behavior from you? I'll have you know that Mr. Sneaky Jackson over there-"

"Continue!"

**Coach Hedge had tried to make it sound like returning to Camp Half-Blood had been all his idea, but Piper suspected there was more to it. The last few weeks, whenever Piper called home, her dad and Mellie had asked her what was wrong. Maybe something in her voice had tipped them off.**

Sally looked at Piper and said, "It's instinct, dear. Parents know when something's wrong."

**Piper couldn't share the visions she'd seen. They were too disturbing. Besides, her dad had taken a potion that had erased all of Piper's demigod secrets from his memory.**

Piper then winced and Jason gave her hand a squeeze.

"Mrs. Jackson? Would you want Percy to erase your memories?" Jason asked.

Sally shook her head and said, "Of course not. My son's been through a lot-"

"Complete understatement." Chris muttered.

"-and I want to know what's going on in his life. Like, when Annabeth went missing and Percy Iris-Messaged me and he started crying."

"I was not crying!" Percy protested.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You snuck out of camp, even through you weren't allowed on the quest and you fought through monster after monster to find you lost love."

"She wasn't my love back then!"

"So she was your love a year later?" Clarisse asked, smirking.

"No, just all of you shut up."  
"So you did take a detour during the Titan war when you went on the Vespa together." Travis asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Percy sunk into his seat and sighed, "I give up."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and muttered, "I didn't get that close to him."

Sally and Clarisse and Travis all high-fived.

"Okay, that is the most weirdest thing I've ever seen." Hazel muttered.

Then Sally turned to Jason and smiled, "Oh, and it's Sally. Mrs. Jackson makes me sound old."

"You're not old." Percy and Paul protested.

**But he could still tell when she was upset, and she was pretty sure her dad had encouraged Coach to look out for her.**

"Parent's intuition." Sally and Paul said at the same time.

They looked at each other and Paul smiled and kissed her cheek.

Aphrodite gushed and Percy rolled his eyes at the love goddess.

**Finally the temptation was too great. She unsheathed Katoptris. It didn't look very special, just a triangular blade with an unadorned hilt, but it had once been owned by Helen of Troy.**

"Wow." Campers said.

"My sword was owned by Hercules." Percy muttered, looking annoyed.

"Wow! Can I touch it? Can I hold it?" A few young campers yelled.

"Is that a bad thing?" Chris asked.

"Let's just say, he's a jerk." Percy answered.

**The dagger's name meant "looking glass."**

"Because she used it for a mirror." Sally said.

Several campers looked at her shocked and she said, "I know some mythology. You have to learn some, especially if your son is a child of the Big Three."

Annabeth smiled, "Wow. You know more than Percy."

Percy turned to her and said, "Watch it Chase, your treading in deep water."

"Shut up Percy."

"You're the one who started it, Nerd."

Campers looked at each other and then back at the couple, waiting for Annabeth to punch him.

To everyone surprise, she just rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and rested her head against his shoulder.

Travis grumbled a handed Chris a five dollar bill.

"I thought she was going to hit him."

"I did to. I mean, he called her a _nerd_. She'd break my nose for saying that." Connor said.

Clarisse smirked, "She has a soft spot for Prissy."

"I do not!" Annabeth protested.

**Piper gazed at the bronze blade. At first, she saw only her reflection. Then light rippled across the metal. She saw a crowd of Roman demigods gathered in the forum. The blond scarecrow-looking kid, Octavian, was speaking to the mob, shaking his fist. Piper couldn't hear him, but the gist was obvious: We need to kill those Greeks!**

"How about we all have a tea party!" Aphrodite squealed.

She was completely ignored.

**Reyna, the praetor, stood to one side, her face tight with suppressed emotion. Bitterness? Anger? Piper wasn't sure.**

Annabeth muttered, "Both."

**She'd been prepared to hate Reyna, but she couldn't. During the feast in the forum, Piper had admired the way Reyna kept her feelings in check.**

"Like Annabeth." Piper said, smiling.

Percy's eyebrows furrowed together and he muttered, "You don't always have to be strong."

"I know." She whispered before kissing his cheek.

"Neither do you."

He gave her a faint smile and said, "You know I can't do that, Wise Girl."

**Reyna had sized up Piper and Jason's relationship right away. As a daughter of Aphrodite, Piper could tell stuff like that.**

"You can tell stuff like that?" Percy asked.

Piper nodded and said, "Yes. Like I could tell that Reyna made a move on you."

Percy made a choking sound in the back of his throat and buried his face in Annabeth's shoulder.

"Kill me."

Sally turned and said, "Someone made a move on you! Who? Did you tell her you had a girlfriend! What's her name? Was she Greek? Was-"

"Her name is Reyna, she's the daughter of Bellona, goddess of war. She's one of the Roman leaders, and she kinda made a move on me when I didn't have my memory. But I told her I had a girlfriend." Percy replied.

Annabeth then turned to Percy and elbowed his ribs, very lightly though, and said, "That's for not telling me, she made a move on you, Seaweed Brain."

"Sorry."

"And I swear to the gods, Percy, if you don't stop apologizing and thinking everything that happens is your fault, I'll-"

Percy kissed her lightly, shutting her up and then pulled away. "Okay, okay. I get it. I'll shut up...for now."

**Yet Reyna had stayed polite and in control. She'd put her camp's needs ahead of her emotions. She'd given the Greeks a fair chance … right up until the Argo II had started destroying her city.**

**She'd almost made Piper feel guilty about being Jason's girlfriend, though that was silly. Jason hadn't ever been Reyna's boyfriend, not really.**

"Not really?" Jason asked, glancing at his girlfriend with a raised eyebrow.

Piper smiled at him, "Sorry. I was kind of in denial, Sparky."

Paul cocked his head to the side and asked," What's up with you demigods and nicknames?"

Jason looked at Percy's stepfather and asked, "What do you mean, Paul?"

"I mean, Percy has tons of nicknames. Like Annabeth calls him Seaweed Brain."

"And now you just did it." Percy muttered when Leo, Jason, Frank and Hazel all turned to Percy, grins on their faces.

"Seaweed Brain? You let your girlfriend call you Seaweed Brain?" Frank asked, his voice quivering with laughter.

"That's an insult to your intelligence, you know that right?" Hazel asked.

Leo and Jason were the only two laughing out loud and Leo said loudly, "Seaweed Brain! That's what she calls you! I've never heard anything as stupid as that before in my li-"

"Shut up, Repair Boy." Piper scolded. "I think it's cute how she has a pet name for him." She smirked at the son of Poseidon.

"Oh, she has a lot of pet names for me. Like moron, stupid, idiot-"

"Kelp Head." Thalia said.

"Prissy." Clarisse added.

"Boss." Travis added with a grin.

Percy glared at him, "I can barely stand the Pegasus calling me that."

**Maybe Reyna wasn't so bad, but it didn't matter now. They'd messed up the chance for peace. Piper's power of persuasion had, for once, done absolutely no good.**

Leo opened his mouth when Piper glared at him and said, "Leo, shut up."

He saluted her and smiled, "Shutting up."

**Her secret fear? Maybe she hadn't tried hard enough. Piper had never wanted to make friends with the Romans. She was too worried about losing Jason to his old life. **

**Maybe unconsciously she hadn't put her best effort into the charmspeak. **

Jason held onto her hand and squeezed it.

Piper shot him a grateful glance.

**Now Jason was hurt. The ship had been almost destroyed. And according to her dagger, that crazy teddy-bear-strangling kid, Octavian, was whipping the Romans into a war frenzy.**

**The scene in her blade shifted. There was a rapid series of images she'd seen before, but she still didn't understand them: Jason riding into battle on horseback, his eyes gold instead of blue;**

Percy and Jason glanced each other before they turned back to the book.

Most of the campers looked confused at the exchange but said nothing.

** -a woman in an old-fashioned Southern belle dress, standing in an oceanside park with palm trees; a bull with the face of a bearded man, rising out of a river; and two giants in matching yellow togas, hoisting a rope on a pulley system, lifting a large bronze vase out of a pit.**

Malcolm piped up, "The prophecy. Didn't it say something about twins?"

Percy gave him a _please-shut-up _look and then Sally glanced quickly at her son.

"What prophecy? What is he talking about?"

The Seven exchanged looked and Percy said, "Mom, Paul. There's a prophecy. _Seven halfbloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire, the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._ The Prophecy of Seven."

Sally nodded and leaned against Paul, who put his arm around her and murmured in her ear, "It'll be alright Sally. He'll make it home after the war."

**(A/N: As much as I hate to say this. I know Percy's going to be the one to stay behind in Tartarus. And because of the line, ****_An oath to keep with a final breath,_**** I feel like that's Percy line and he's going to get himself stuck in Tartarus in order to save Annabeth and the rest of the Seven. And because of his death, it'll keep the Seven together. And Percy promised her he's never leave her again and he'll keep that promise until he dies...Comments?)**

**Then came the worst vision: she saw herself with Jason and Percy, standing waist-deep in water at the bottom of a dark circular chamber, like a giant well. Ghostly shapes moved through the water as it rose rapidly. Piper clawed at the walls, trying to escape, but there was nowhere to go. The water reached their chests. Jason was pulled under. Percy stumbled and disappeared.**

"What happen!" Campers yelled, along with Sally and Paul.

"We can't tell you. Just listen to the book." Hazel said.

How could a child of the sea god drown?

Poseidon's face crinkled with confusion, "He can't..."

Sally's eyes were filled with worry and she whispered, "You can't. Right, Percy? You can't drown?"

She looked at her son and Percy answered quietly, "Mom, please don't make me answer that question. You'll learn everything that happened to us in the book." As Sally bit her lip, Percy stood up and walked over to his mother. He bent his head and gave her a kiss on her forehead and whispered, "Everything's going to be fine. I can promise you that much."

She squeezed his hand and Paul muttered, "You have too much on your shoulder's Percy."

With a light laugh and a sarcastic grin, Percy responded, " That's old news Paul."

He returned to his seat and wrapped one arm around Annabeth, who rested her head against his cheek.

**Piper didn't know, but she watched herself in the vision, alone and thrashing in the dark, until the water rose over her head.**

Campers winced.

"Visions like that suck." Clarisse said.

"I have visions that I'm being eaten by a huge version of George and Martha." Travis commented.

Campers looked at him and Connor said, "Dude! Me to!" They Hi-Fived, causing campers to groan.

Sally smiled slightly at Thalia and asked, "Does this happen often?"

The Hunter rolled her eyes and replied, "More than you'll ever know, Mrs. Jackson."

**Piper shut her eyes. Don't show me that again, she pleaded. Show me something helpful.**

**She forced herself to look at the blade again.**

"Watch it not be something helpful." Travis grinned, causing the Seven to glare at him.

"Sorry!" He apologized.

**This time, she saw an empty highway cutting between fields of wheat and sunflowers. A mileage marker read: TOPEKA 32. On the shoulder of the road stood a man in khaki shorts and a purple camp shirt. His face was lost in the shadow of a broad hat, the brim wreathed in leafy vines.**

Campers snorted with laughter. "_Mr. D_?"

"I think the other vision is _a lot_ more helpful than _Mr. D_."

Dionysus scowled at the demigods and raised his hand, ready to turn them all into bottles of Merlot.

"No." Zeus said, without even looking at his son.

"But-"

"No." He said again and nodded to the fire god to continue.

**He held up a silver goblet and beckoned to Piper. Somehow she knew he was offering her some sort of gift—a cure, or an antidote.**

"I wonder if he's giving Piper wine? Or Diet Coke?" Chris wondered out loud.

"Okay, something is seriously wrong with this camp." Piper said.

"Blame Percy." All the Campers, Hunters and Gods pointed to the son of the sea god.

"Hey!"

**"Hey," Jason croaked.**

"Weird." The campers echoed.

**Piper was so startled she dropped the knife. "You're awake!"**

"Dropped the knife on his face?" Chris asked.

"Okay, this is getting old."

**"Don't sound so surprised." Jason touched his bandaged head and frowned. "What … what happened? I remember the explosions, and —"**

Frank smirked, "Getting hit in the face with a brick?"

"I don't remember that part very much." Jason said.

**"You remember who I am?"**

**Jason tried to laugh, but it turned into a painful wince. "Last I checked, you were my awesome girlfriend Piper. Unless something has changed since I was out?"**

"Of course not." Piper said.

"Good, Pipes." Jason smiled at her.

**Piper was so relieved she almost sobbed. She helped him sit up and gave him some nectar to sip while she brought him up to speed. She was just explaining Leo's plan to fix the ship when she heard horse hooves clomping across the deck over their heads.**

"They're here." The campers all sang in a creepy voice.

Nico raised one eyebrow and muttered, "And they say I'm creepy."

The gods all looked at each other and then Demeter muttered, "They don't get enough cereal."

"READ!" The gods yelled as she opened her mouth to began ranting about cereal.

**Moments later, Leo and Hazel stumbled to a stop in the doorway, carrying a large sheet of hammered bronze between them.**

**"Gods of Olympus." Piper stared at Leo. "What happened to you?"**

"Not much." Leo answered, grinning widely.

**His hair was greased back. He had welding goggles on his forehead, a lipstick mark on his cheek, tattoos all over his arms, and a T-shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO.**

Piper shook her head and said, "That was one of the most weirdest things I've ever seen."

"Glad to be at your services , Beauty Queen." Leo mock bowed and she smacked him on the back of the head.

**"Long story," he said. "Others back?"**

"Because that explains so much." Paul said.

A few demigods nodded in agreement.

**"Not yet," Piper said.**

**Leo cursed. Then he noticed Jason sitting up, and his face brightened. "Hey, man! Glad you're better. I'll be in the engine room."**

"That was a very lovely chat." Piper said, glancing at Annabeth and Hazel.

They both groaned and Annabeth muttered, "Stupid goddess."

**He ran off with the sheet of bronze, leaving Hazel in the doorway.**

**Piper raised an eyebrow at her. "Team Leo?"**

**"We met Narcissus," Hazel said, which didn't really explain much. "Also Nemesis, the revenge goddess."**

**Jason sighed. "I miss all the fun."**

Athena looked at him and questioned, "Fun? How would you call that fun?"

"I do." Percy answered and let out a sigh.

"Capture-the-Flag, getting your butt whipped."

Annabeth looked at her boyfriend for a moment and then looked at Sally.

"Sally. I'm so sorry, I think I broke your son."

Sally chuckled, "Oh dear. He was always like that."

**On the deck above, something went THUMP, as if a heavy creature had landed. **

"Frank, the magic dragon! Lived by the sea-" Travis and Connor began singing.

"Shut up!"

**Annabeth and Percy came running down the hall. Percy was toting a steaming five-gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. **

**Annabeth had a patch of black sticky stuff in her hair.**

Annabeth tugged at one of her curls and complained, "That took forever to get out."

The Aphrodite children all winced and began checking their hair.

**Percy's shirt was covered in it.**

"That was so fun." Percy sighed.

"I really think I might of completely broken your son."

**"Roofing tar?" Piper guessed.**

"No Piper. It's peanut butter." Leo said dryly.

Piper rolled her eyes at him.

"Shut up Leo."

**Frank stumbled up behind them, which made the hallway pretty jam-packed with demigods. Frank had a big smear of the black sludge down his face.**

"That's probably really good for your skin though." Aphrodite muttered.

**"Ran into some tar monsters," Annabeth said.**

"Tar monsters?" The campers all echoed.

Annabeth shrugged, "Apparently they do exist."

**"Hey, Jason, glad you're awake. Hazel, where's Leo?"**

"At least their saying hi to you Jason."

**She pointed down. "Engine room."**

"Of course." Nyssa rolled her eyes but smiled at her half-brother.

"You know me so well." Leo smirked.

**Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar.**

"Percy! Didn't thy mother tell you not to spill buckets of tar!" Connor scolded.

"Yes, you bad boy." Travis added, shaking his head and brushing an imaginary beard.

Percy looked at Annabeth and asked, "Can I hit them?"

"No."

"Aww"

**"Uh, what was that?" he demanded.**

"Percy. Don't demand things from the ship. What did she ever do to you?" Leo asked, smiling so Percy knew he was kidding.

Percy rolled his eyes and said, "She let on a satyr chaperone, that's war-crazed."

Coach Hedge scowled and said, "Watch it, Jackson."

"Oh, I will. Trust me."

**"Oh …" Hazel looked embarrassed. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like … all of them."**

Campers chuckled but there was tension in it, showing they were worried.

**"Great." Percy handed the bucket of tar to Frank and Annabeth. "You guys help Leo. I'll hold off the water spirits as long as I can."**

"Yeah! Go Prissy! Show those water spirits who has real power of the sea!" Clarisse yelled.

Campers jaws dropped and she quickly brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes and snapped, "This never leaves this room. Got it, punks?"

Everyone nodded, except Percy, who was staring at her.

Then, his face broke into a grin, "I wouldn't be too sure about that, Clarisse."

"Shut up, Prissy."

He smirked, "Never gonna happen, La Rue."

Nico shook his head and said, "Oh Percy."

**"On it!" Frank promised.**

Several campers smiled at Frank, making his blush.

**The three of them ran off, leaving Hazel at the cabin door. The ship listed again, and Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick.**

"That sucks. Seasickness." Annabeth said.

"You used to get that." Percy pointed out.

She smiled and said, "I don't anymore."

Travis, Connor, Chris and Will all looked at each other.

"Because you had a taste of the sea?" Will quirked.

"NO!" Percy and Annabeth yelled, though Annabeth was blushing slightly.

Sally and Paul looked at each other and Sally spoke up, "Oh, sweetie. No need to be embarrassed."

She was trying not to laugh and Paul joined in, "Yeah, Percy. She just has a strong preference to being at sea than others. And in underwater bubbles, am I correct?"

"Okay, those two look they want to die in a hole. Let's keep reading." Chiron said and the winked at the couple, which didn't make anything better for them.

Most of the gods, all of the Campers and a few hunters, caught the wink and smirked at the couple, some of them snickering.

**"I'll just …" She swallowed, pointed weakly down the passageway, and ran off. **

Campers looked at her sympathetically, while she smiled back at them.

**Jason and Piper stayed below as the ship rocked back and forth. For a hero, Piper felt pretty useless.**

Aphrodite smiled at her daughter, "Don't worry dear. You won't for long."

"Umm...thanks." Piper replied.

**Waves crashed against the hull as angry voices came from above deck—Percy shouting, Coach Hedge yelling at the lake.**

"Percy! Percy! Percy!"

"Coach Hedge! Coach Hedge!"

The campers were chanting and stomping their feet, while Coach looked pleased and Percy looked downright annoyed.

He didn't like being in the center of attention.

**Festus the figurehead breathed fire several times.**

"Happy the Dragon! Happy the Dragon!"

"Woah...hold up." Percy said and then he looked at Annabeth, "Is this the dragon from-"

"Yep."

"The one with the-"

"Ugh-huh."

"The one that almost ate me?"

"The one and only."

Percy then grinned, "Sweet."

**Down the hall, Hazel moaned miserably in her cabin. **

"Hazel! Hazel! Hazel!" The Seven chanted, making her looked embarrassed.

"Stop it." She said, fiddling with the button on her jean shirt.

Frank kissed her cheek and she smiled.

Nico's face flickered with a slight smile before going away in a heartbeat.

**In the engine room below, it sounded like Leo and the others were doing an Irish line dance with anvils tied to their feet.**

"But we didn't do that?" Leo said, looking confused.

Piper rolled her eyes and said, "It's a simile Leo."

"Those things with like? Those were so boring, I never paid attention in my teachers class."

When Sally gave him a warning look, he quickly added, "I mean, smilies, I love those. They're so...like... like."

Annabeth bit her lip to keep her from laughing at her boyfriend.

Chiron was shaking his head fondly.

** After what seemed like hours, the engine began to hum. The oars creaked and groaned, and Piper felt the ship lift into the air.**

"Woah!" Campers, Hunters and the gods cheered.

"The Argo II is back on the road...or air?!"

**The rocking and shaking stopped. The ship became quiet except for the drone of machinery. Finally Leo emerged from the engine room. He was caked in sweat, lime dust, and tar. His T-shirt looked like it had been caught in an escalator and chewed to shreds. The TEAM LEO on his chest now read: AM LEO.**

Leo's siblings all grinned and Hephaestus nodded to his son.

** But he grinned like a madman and announced that they were safely under way.**

"You would." Nyssa said.

**"Meeting in the mess hall, one hour," he said. "Crazy day, huh?"**

"No kidding."

**After everyone had cleaned up, Coach Hedge took the helm and the demigods gathered below for dinner. It was the first time they'd all sat down together—just the seven of them. Maybe their presence should've reassured Piper, but seeing all of them in one place only reminded her that the Prophecy of Seven was unfolding at last. No more waiting for Leo to finish the ship. No more easy days at Camp Half-Blood, pretending the future was still a long way off. They were under way, with a bunch of angry Romans behind them and the ancient lands ahead. The giants would be waiting. Gaea was rising. And unless they succeeded in this quest, the world would be destroyed.**

"That sucks." A campers muttered.

"Yeah, well trying living it." Percy said, glancing at the camper.

**The others must've felt it too. The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing, which was totally possible, considering Percy's and Jason's powers.**

Campers all looked at each other.

**In an awkward moment, the two boys tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table.**

A lot of campers winced.

Both boys were used to being leader, so having two leaders in the same place, always lead to trouble.

"That's not going to end well." Travis muttered.

"Leader of Camp Jupiter and Leader of Camp Half-blood face off." Chris said.

"That would be Hades."

Hades nodded and said, "It would. Especially since they're both used to being the leader."

**Sparks literally flew from Jason's hands. After a brief silent standoff, like they were both thinking, ****_Seriously, dude?,_**** they ceded the chair to Annabeth and sat at opposite sides of the table.**

"This doesn't sound good." Sally muttered.

"Do you two get into a fight?" Thalia asked.

They looked at each other and shrugged, "Nah."

**The crew compared notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked Narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group.**

"It is funny to think about huh?" Percy asked.

The other kids of the Seven nodded and smiled.

"Now it's funny."

**"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza.**

"Manners Leo. Manners." Piper scolded.

"You should see Percy eat." Annabeth smirked.

"Sweetie, you do eat way too much." Sally said, looking at her son.

Percy rolled his eyes and said, "Hey. Not my fault I have a fast metabolism."

** "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."**

**Percy was eating a piece of pie, which for some reason was completely blue— filling, crust, even the whipped cream.**

Sally smiled happily at Percy, who grinned back at her.

"Okay, seriously? What's up with the blue food?" Jason asked.

Percy answered him, "It's a joke between me and my mom. She just bakes me blue food."

Annabeth smiled, "At least some things never change."

**"We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter," he said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."**

"Great."

**That didn't improve the mood around the table. Piper didn't want to say anything, but she felt obliged … and a little guilty. "I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans? Maybe—maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."**

"It wasn't you fault Piper. Or Leo's." Percy said.

**Jason took her hand. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly.**

"NO! I can't lose my baby brother to _that_!" Thalia pointed at Percy and he smirked at her.

"Your too young to start thinking like that idiot."

**"Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."**

The gods looked angry and Poseidon muttered, "She's a pretty crappy piece of Earth. Nothing will grow on her."

**Piper was grateful for his support, but she still felt uneasy. "Maybe if we could explain that, though—"**

**"With no proof?" Annabeth asked. "And no idea what really happened? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I don't want the Romans on our bad side, but until we understand what Gaea's up to, going back is suicide."**

"They would kill us without a second's notice." Hazel agreed

**"She's right," Hazel said. She still looked a little queasy from seasickness, but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. The rim of her plate was embedded with rubies, and Piper was pretty sure they hadn't been there at the beginning of the meal.**

"I still think that's freaking cool." Connor muttered.

Katie rolled her eyes when Travis gasped, "We had plates at Camp embedded with rubies and you never told us?!"

** "Reyna might listen, but Octavian won't. The Romans have honor to think about. They've been attacked. They'll shoot first and ask questions post hac."**

Paul nodded, "That's true. Romans are very proud people."

**Piper stared at her own dinner. The magical plates could conjure up a great selection of vegetarian stuff.**

Annabeth chuckled as Percy made a face and said, "Percy, all you ever eat is barbecue."

"Because it's soooo good, Wise Girl. Have you ever smelt barbecue? It smells like Elysium."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Shut up."

Piper chuckled, "I wasn't always a vegetarian. It was because of one of those cows chopper thingies and...yeah."

Percy nodded and said, "I almost became a vegetarian when I saw flesh-eating horses in the Labyrinth."

Annabeth had a small smile on her face, "_Almost_?"

"Yep. Almost."

**She especially liked the avocado and grilled pepper quesadilla, but tonight she didn't have much of an appetite.**

"That actually sounds good." Katie said.

Annabeth nodded, "It does."

**She thought about the visions she'd seen in her knife: Jason with golden eyes; the bull with the human head; the two giants in yellow togas hoisting a bronze jar from a pit. Worst of all, she remembered herself drowning in black water.**

Percy swallowed hard and muttered, "I know what you mean."

**Piper had always liked the water.**

"Me too." Percy grinned.

"Really? I thought being a son of Poseidon meant that you loves the sky?" Chris said.

"You would think that." Travis smirked.

"Shut up, Trav."

**She had good memories of surfing with her dad. **

"We should go surfing some time, Piper." Percy said and she smiled, "Definitely."

"Have you ever been surfing before?" Annabeth asked.

"Of course not. But being a son of Poseidon and all, I'm sure I would do fine."

**But since she'd started seeing that vision in Katoptris, she'd been thinking more and more of an old Cherokee story her granddad used to tell to keep her away from the river near his cabin. He told her the Cherokees believed in good water spirits, like the naiads of the Greeks; but they also believed in evil water spirits, the water cannibals, who hunted mortals with invisible arrows and were especially fond of drowning small children.**

"That's not very pleasant."

"No really?"

**"You're right," she decided. "We have to keep going. Not just because of the Romans. We have to hurry."**

**Hazel nodded. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."**

"Oh, this book is so happy." Travis said.

Hades looked worried and he glanced at his son.

Hazel grabbed Nico's hand and squeezed it, showing him she was there.

**Jason frowned. "You mean Rome Rome, not New Rome?"**

"Gods...you sound so much like Percy." Thalia muttered.

**"I think," Hazel said. "But if so, that's not much time."**

**"Why six days?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?"**

"Fantastic."

**No one answered. Piper didn't want to add further bad news, but she felt she had to.**

"Thanks for that by the way, Piper." Percy said, looking at her with those unsettling sea-green eyes of his.

She nodded to him and said, "No problem."

She could tell by his tone that he was being serious, and actually _thanking_ her for telling them instead of being sarcastic, which he was a lot.

**"There's more," she said. "I've been seeing some things in my knife."**

"Besides your face?" Connor yelled.

Piper sighed and looked at Chiron, "How do you put up with them?" She nodded to Travis and Connor.

"I've known them since they were little, I guess I'm used to it by know."

**The big kid, Frank, froze with a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "Things such as …?"**

"Bad things." Sally said.

"Really? I didn't know-Sorry Mrs. Jackson." Leo stopped as he saw Percy look.

**"They don't really make sense," Piper said, "just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins."**

Malcolm nodded.

**Annabeth stared at the magical video feed from Camp Half-Blood on the wall. Right now it showed the living room in the Big House: a cozy fire on the hearth and Seymour, the stuffed leopard head, snoring contentedly above the mantel.**

Percy let out a content sigh and said, "How much I've missed this place."

Sally and Paul smiled at each other, happy that Percy had made it to his second home.

**"Twins, like in Ella's prophecy," Annabeth said. "If we could figure out those lines, it might help."**

"Yes, Annabeth. it would help very much." Leo said, making Annabeth glare at him.

"Shut up, Leo."

**"Wisdom's daughter walks alone," Percy said. "The Mark of Athena burns through Rome. Annabeth, that's got to mean you. Juno told me … well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. She said she doubted you could do it. But I know she's wrong."**

Several campers smiled.

Annabeth muttered, "Thank you, for having faith in me."

"I would never doubt you." He whispered back.

**Annabeth took a long breath. "Reyna was about to tell me something right before the ship fired on us. She said there was an old legend among the Roman praetors—something that had to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along."**

They all looked at each other.

**Leo and Hazel exchanged nervous looks.**

**"Nemesis mentioned something similar," Leo said. "She talked about an old score that had to be settled—"**

**"The one thing that might bring the gods' two natures into harmony," Hazel recalled. "'An old wrong finally avenged.'"**

Some gods glanced at Athena, who was staring intensely at the book.

_Could it be..._

**Percy drew a frowny face in his blue whipped cream. "I was only a praetor for about two hours. Jason, you ever hear a legend like that?"**

**Jason was still holding Piper's hand. His fingers had turned clammy.**

"You know something?" Clarisse asked.

Jason sent the other Seven a apologetic look and said, "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry for not sharing it earlier. "

"It's fine Jason." Piper said and kissed him on the cheek.

**"I … uh, I'm not sure," he said. "I'll give it some thought."**

**Percy narrowed his eyes. "You're not sure?"**

"Sorry about that Jason. " Percy said and Jason nodded.

"It's cool Percy."

**Jason didn't respond. Piper wanted to ask him what was wrong. She could tell he didn't want to discuss this old legend. She caught his eye, and he pleaded silently, Later.**

**Hazel broke the silence. "What about the other lines?" She turned her ruby-encrusted plate. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death."**

**"Giants' bane stands gold and pale," Frank added, "Won through pain from a woven jail."**

Sally looked at Annabeth nervously, who turned and smiled at her.

**"Giants' bane," Leo said. "Anything that's a giants' bane is good for us, right? That's probably what we need to find. If it can help the gods get their schizophrenic act together, that's good."**

Several campers chuckled at Leo's words.

**Percy nodded. "We can't kill the giants without the help of the gods."**

The Campers, Hunters and everyone in the room looked at the gods.

A few gods coughed and fiddled with their clothes.

**Jason turned to Frank and Hazel. "I thought you guys killed that one giant in Alaska without a god's help, just the two of you."**

"Because Percy was the one who got the eagle." Frank said.

Then Hazel added, "And stabbed his sword into a glacier and made the whole thing collapse."

"What!" Sally exclaimed.

Hazel looked embarrassed and she sent Percy a apologetic glance.

"Mom, I'm fine. Besides, it wasn't as high as the Arch fall that I fell off of when I was twelve."

"Percy, I think you're going to give you mom a heart attack." Paul pointed out and Percy said, "Sorry Mom."

**"Alcyoneus was a special case," Frank said. "He was only immortal in the territory where he was reborn—Alaska.**

"I wish all giants were like that." Percy muttered.

The campers, hunters and gods all nodded in agreement.

**But not in Canada. I wish I could kill all the giants by dragging them across the border from Alaska into Canada, but …" He shrugged. "Percy's right, we'll need the gods."**

**Piper gazed at the walls. She really wished Leo hadn't enchanted them with images of Camp Half-Blood. It was like a doorway to home that she could never go through. She watched the hearth of Hestia burning in the middle of the green as the cabins turned off their lights for curfew.**

"Sorry." Leo said and Percy shrugged.

"It's fine Leo. I just happy to be back now."

"So am I." Annabeth said, making him smile.

**She wondered how the Roman demigods, Frank and Hazel, felt about those images. They'd never even been to Camp Half-Blood. Did it seem alien to them, or unfair that Camp Jupiter wasn't represented? Did it make them miss their own home?**

Frank and Hazel shrugged, not wanting to talk about it.

**The other lines of the prophecy turned in Piper's mind. What was a woven jail? How could twins snuff out an angel's breath? The key to endless death didn't sound very cheerful, either.**

"No prophecy's are cheerful. Trust me." Percy said.

** "So …" Leo pushed his chair away from the table. "First things first, I guess. We'll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs."**

**"Someplace close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"**

"Las Vegas." Travis suggested.

"Camp Half-Blood."

**No one spoke. Piper remembered her vision in the knife: the strange man in purple, holding out a goblet and beckoning to her. He'd been standing in front of a sign that read TOPEKA 32.**

**"Well," she ventured, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"**

Travis and Connor grinned at each other.

"We're not in Kansas anymore."

"Now we just need a little black dog."

A large sounded echoed across the ground, sounding like a artillery-gun on full auto.

Then, a shadow came from the corner of the room and a large dog, about the size of a tank maybe, came from the shadows. It had shaggy fur and it's tongue lolled from its mouth.

Campers jumped up, shocked at the appearance of a hellhound in the Big House.

"That's a little black dog." Travis said, smiling like crazy.

The hellhound turned and then barked loudly and pounced.

That thing she pounced on happened to be Percy.

"Woah, girl!" Percy said as he was knocked to the ground and the hellhound put its paw on his chest and bent it's head.

Campers screamed and Percy did as well.

Well, that's what they thought he was doing. But when they listen closer, they realized that he was laughing.

"I missed you to girl. Yeah, I love you, no get off me." Percy shoved her paw off of him and stood up, his hair was even messier than usual and he whipped the dog saliva from his face. "Oh, this is my pet hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary."

Piper stared at him and said, "Your weird. Who has a pet hellhound?"

Percy laughed and scratched the huge hellhound on her nose, making her tail wag and that caused the whole room to shake.

"I know, Piper. Do you mind if she stays in here, Chiron?"

The centaur laughed, "Not at all, Percy."

"Cool." He said and then Mrs. O'Leary licked her pink tongue across his face and barked happily.

"Gods, Percy." Annabeth said, laughing.

Once Mrs. O'Leary settled down next to the Hunters, who didn't seemed bothered at all, one even gave her a dog biscuit, which she somehow happened to find in her pocket. Maybe for the wolves?

"Okay, who wants to read?"

Annabeth raised her hand and she was handed the book.

"Okay. Here we go. **Piper X."**

**Like it? Review and I'll update next week. **

**Love, BlackConverse3 **


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, I'm gonna take Sally and Paul out and the Seven. One is because it's hard keeping all of the characters, not only do I have the gods and all of like the senior counselors, it's exhausting. So they gonna go bye-bye! Yeah...was that all? I think so, I don't remember...whatever. Besides, it's hard enough doing the gods and all the senior councilors, then random campers and Percy, Annabeth, and my minimum in a scene is 1 and the max 18. If I have them all, I would literary go insane and throw my laptop across the room. **

**And I don't care by the way, criticize me all you want, call me a bad writer, make me feel like crap! We're all here for one reason and one reason only: to write. To express our feelings for anything we want, to write whatever we want...er sorta. You can say speak poorly about how the characters act, I don't care. So, go right ahead, call me a bad writer, say I have too much Percabeth, how it's too disgusting, well, then stop reading the story. I don't care who's listening, even if one person reviewed my story and everyone else hated it, who cares. I love writing, writing is the only way I can escape this **_hellhole_**_ of a life and I express my feelings in my writing. Sorry for my outburst, here's the quotes._ **

_"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."_**_(Jack London)(One of my favorite quotes.)_**

**_"Concentrate on what you want to say to yourself and your friends. Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness._**_ **You say what you want to say when you don't care who's listening."** _**(Allen ****Ginsberg)**

Suddenly, a loud popping sounded echoed across the room and Jason raised an eyebrow, "What was t-" Before he could finish his sentence, he disappeared along with Piper, Leo, Frank, Hazel, Coach Hedge, Nico, Sally and Paul.

Two pieces of paper dropped onto two camper's laps: Percy's and Thalia's. Percy read the scrap out loud, "**Dear Campers, Hunters and gods, Paul had to go to work. And Sally got her prayer answered. To make sure her son was alive.**"

Thalia opened her note and began, "**Dear everyone that was mentioned in the previous letter, The remaining Seven have a quest to continue. One that must not be delayed. To find dear friends and close the Doors of Death. From, Apollo and the** **Fates.**"

"That was..." Percy began, glancing at Annabeth.

"Weird?" She answered and he nodded. "Yep. Very. Well, at least there's more room now." He grinned and laid down on the couch, laying his legs across Annabeth's lap, who then in turn, shoved them off of her and she rolled her eyes.

"Read Wise Girl." Percy said, taking the note she took from her hands and handed her the book.

She traced the words, _The Mark of Athena_ on the cover and then opened it to the right page.

"Okay, **Piper X**."

**Piper had trouble falling asleep.**

"Most demigods do." Hermes said, looking at the demigods, who all nodded in agreement.

"We do, especially during a war." Thalia said, casting a glance at Percy, remembering the dreams during the Titan War.

"Dreams suck." Percy muttered.

"No kidding." Grover whispered.

**Coach Hedge spent the first hour after curfew doing is nightly duty,-**

Will laughed, "Annabeth, you said duty."

The daughter of Athena scowled at him and said, "Will, don't start acting like _those_ two."

Connor smirked, "Get it? Nightly? Knightly?"

Travis busted out laughing and a few gods, Hermes and Apollo, joined them.

"Nice one boys!" The two gods said to their children.

Zeus rubbed his head and said, "This is going to destroy my temples." **(Pun intended!)**

Apollo grinned at his father, "Don't worry, they already are destroying your temples." **(Burn Zeus! Or should I say zapped...I'm tired. And going insane.)**

Athena scowled, making her look a lot like Annabeth and said, "Idiot! He means he's getting a headache!"

"Oh, you mean because of Jupiter?"

The gods all groaned as they're shapes began flickering from Roman to Greek, while Apollo sat there, leaning back in his throne, his hands behind his head and a grin plastered on his face.

"He's lucky he stays the same, Greek and Roman." Grover muttered to Percy, who nodded in agreement.

**-walking up and down the passageway yelling, "Lights out! Settle down! Try and sneak out, and I'll smack you back to Long Island!" **

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other and then busted out laughing.

"He said that?" Poseidon asked, looking concerned.

Percy smiled and said, "He also threatened to tie a bell around our necks."

Thalia raised a dark eyebrow and said, "Why? So he could tell where you are?"

"Yep."

**He banged his baseball bat against a cabin door whenever he heard a noise, shouting at everyone to go to sleep,-**

"Because banging on a cabin door is what helps me sleep." Clarisse said, rolling her eyes.

"He probably did that to Percy's cabin a lot then. Because at night he talks in his sleep and makes noises." Grover pointed out.

**-which made it impossible for _anyone_ to go to sleep. **

"See, Piper agrees with me." Clarisse pointed out.

**Piper figured this was the most fun the satyr had had since he'd pretended to be a gym teacher at the Wilderness School.**

"Definitely." Chiron smiled.

**She stared at the bronze beams on the ceiling. Her cabin was pretty cozy.**

"So was mine." Percy said.

Annabeth nodded in agreement and said, "Mine was to."

**Leo had programmed their quarters to adjust automatically to the occupant's preferred temperature, so it was never too cold or too hot. The mattress and the pillows were stuffed with pegasus down (no pegasi were harmed in the making of these products, Leo had assured her), so they were über-comfortable. **

"That sounds nice," Katie said. "Just like a vacation."

"If you count a vacation as a _extremely dangerous_ quest, then yeah, it was." Percy said, glancing at Annabeth, who scowled.

"I don't count that as a vacation."

**A bronze lantern hung from the ceiling, glowing at whatever brightness Piper wished. The lantern's sides were perforated with pinholes, so a night glimmering constellations drifted across her walls. **

"That sounds amazing." Lacy said.

"It was really pretty." Annabeth agreed.

"Leo did that especially for her."

**Piper had so many things on her mind, she thought she'd never sleep.**

"I hate that feeling." Chris muttered.

The Hunters and Campers all nodded in agreement.

"Or when you have a dream and you want to wake up, but you can't?" Connor asked.

"I have those all the time." Percy muttered.

"So do we." Thalia nodded to her Hunters.

**But there was something peaceful about the rocking of the boat and the drone of the aerial oars as they scooped through the sky.**

"That does sound peaceful. Just hearing that makes me sleepy." Clovis said, yawning widely.

Several campers rolled their eyes and Percy shook his head slightly, smiling fondly at Clovis.

Apollo poked Athena and leaned towards her and whispered, "He reminds me of a caow."

She moved away from him and said, "A _what_?"

"A caow."

Artemis stared at her brother and said, "There's no such thing as a caow. What is a caow?"

"Half cow, half cat. With bright yellow wings, like the sun. And long fangs that come out of its head and then a raccoon's tail that's pink an-"

"Please continue, Annabeth before he gets smacked in the head with a book."

**Finally her eyelids got heavy, and she drifted off. **

**It seemed like only a few seconds had passed before she woke to the breakfast bell.**

"Lucky." Percy muttered.

"I know, no dreams. How much I would pay for that." Thalia agreed.

"Dreams suck-What...didn't we just have this conversation?" Will asked.

The demigods looked at each other and then all said together, "Oh..."

**"Yo, Piper!" Leo knocked on her door. "We're landing!"**

"Yes!" The campers yelled.

**"Landing?" She sat up groggily. **

**Leo opened her door and poked his head in. He had his hand over his eyes, which would've been a nice gesture if he hadn't been peeking through his fingers. **

That made campers laugh and Nyssa shook her head.

"Oh Leo."

**"You decent?"**

"LEO!" The campers roared with laughter.

Apollo and Hermes were on the floor and they said, "Hep, we love your son."

**"Leo!"**

The Hephaestus campers rolled their eyes, most of the chuckling at his behavior.

**"Sorry." He grinned. "Hey, nice Power Ranger jammies!"**

Percy laughed, "She wears Power Ranger jammies?"

Annabeth smacked his arm and said, "They're Cherokee Eagles, Seaweed Brain. You were Finding Nemo pajama pants, so I would stop laughing."

"That was one time and it was a joke."

**"They are not Power Rangers! They're Cherokee eagles!" **

"Told you Seaweed Brain."

**"Yeah, sure. Anyway, we're setting down a few miles outside Topeka, as requested. And, um . . ." He glanced out in the passageway, then leaned inside again. **

"He's going to apologize isn't he?" Katie asked Annabeth.

She shrugged and said, "I don't know, I was above deck."

**"Thanks for not hating me, about blowing up the Romans yesterday."**

"She could never hate you Leo." Nyssa said.

**Piper rubbed her eyes. The feast in New Rome had been only yesterday? **

"Wow, it was? You guys have really long days." Travis said.

**"That's okay, Leo. You weren't in control of yourself." **

**"Yeah, but still. . . you didn't have to stick up for me." **

"You're like her annoying little brother." Katie said.

"Like what my little Kelpy is to me, huh?" Thalia put her arm around Percy, who scowled at her.

"I'm older than you, Thals."

"Technically, I'm older because I'm immortal."

"That doesn't make any sense." Percy retorted.

Thalia rolled her eyes and looked at Annabeth, "How can you stand him?"

Annabeth looked at Percy and smirked, "His ignorance."

**"Are you kidding? You're like the annoying little brother I never had. Of course I'll stick up for you." **

Campers chuckled.

"Wow, this is getting weirder and weirder." Chris commented.

**"Uh. . .thanks?" **

"I think that was a compliment." Hestia said.

**From above, Coach Hedge yelled, "Thar she blows. Kansas, ahoy!" **

Several Hermes and Ares campers winced.

"That was horrible." Travis said.

**"Holy Hephaestus, " Leo muttered. "He really needs to work on his shipspeak. I'd better get above deck." **

"So you can correct him about his shipspeak?" Grover asked, looking amused.

**By the time Piper had showered, changed and grabbed a bagel from the mess hall, she could hear the ship's landing hear extending. **

Drew muttered under her breath, "Good. Get that filthy muck scent off of you."

**She climbed on deck and joined the others as the _Argo II _settled in the middle of a field of sunflowers. **

"Yeah, sunflowers! Great place to start in Kansas. Just watch out for the witch on the bicycle!" Connor said.

Clarisse and Chris looked at him and Clarisse muttered, "You brother's an idiot."

**The oars retracted. The gangplank lowered itself. The morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth. **

Demeter and her children all let out a sigh.

"That sounds amazing."

"It really does." Katie agreed.

"Instead of reading this book, how about we all go outside and start plowing the field. Great character builder." Demeter said, nodding.

Everyone in the room looked at her, with a blank expression on their face.

**It reminded Piper of Grandpa Tom's place in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, back on the reservation.**

"Because everyone wants a Grandpa Tom." Thalia said, rolling her eyes.

"I want an Grandpa Tom! I just have a stinky Uncle Tom!" Travis yelled.

"Right bro! Let's go find Grandpa Tom in Oklahoma!"

They both leaped to their feet, only to be dragged down by their siblings, who began whispering to them about an escape route.

"No." Chiron said, giving them his _teacher_ look.

"Awww..." They all complained.

**Percy was the first one to notice her. He smiled in greeting, which for some reason surprised Piper. **

Several campers snorted.

"Are you kidding me, Percy smiles at everyone."

**He was wearing faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, as if he'd never been away from the Greek side. **

"That must of helped you mood." Grover said.

Percy nodded and then smiled at Annabeth, "Yeah, the shirt really helped to."

"Camp Half-Blood! Yeah!" Campers whooped and cheered.

Hestia shook her head, looking amused at the campers behavior.

Most of the gods did the same thing, rolling their eyes as the campers Hi-Fived each other.

**The new clothes probably helped his mood-and of course the fact that he was standing at the rail with his arm around Annabeth. **

** Piper was happy to see Annabeth with a sparkle in her eyes., because Piper had never had a better friend. **

"I thought that was vampires?" A Nike camper asked.

**For months, Annabeth had been tormenting herself, her every waking moment consumed with the search for Percy. **

Campers looked at Percy and Annabeth, who both stiffened and Percy looked slightly guilty.

Annabeth was bending and unbending the page corner before she began reading again, after a moment's pause.

**Now, despite the dangerous quest they were facing, at least she had her boyfriend back. **

Annabeth nodded and muttered, "At least we're together."

Percy squeezed her hand for a second, remembering the cold feeling they had had that one night.

In Tartarus.

**"So!" Annabeth plucked the bagel out of Piper's hand and took a bite, but that didn't both Piper. Back at camp, they'd had a running joke about stealing each other's food.**

"Annabeth, you stole food from other people." Hermes commented, looking at her.

"All-right!" Travis said, giving Annabeth a thumbs-up.

**"Here we are. What's the plan?"**

**"I want to check out the highway," Piper said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."**

**Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves.**

"Nice."

**"We shouldn't be far, " he said. "Fetus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker." **

"A god?"

**Piper explained what she'd seen in the knife- the man in purple with a goblet. She kept quiet about the other images, though, like the vision of Percy, Jason and herself drowning. She wasn't sure what it meant, anyway; and everyone seemed in such better spirits this morning, she didn't want to ruin the mood.**

**"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus?"**

**"Dionysus," Percy muttered. "If we came all the way to Kansas to see _Mr. D_-" **

"And what's wrong with me, _Peter Johnson_?" Mr. D asked, looking at Percy.

He shook his head and said, "Nothing. Keep reading Annabeth."

Chiron shook his head at Percy, remember all the time the two have argued about something.

**"Bacchus isn't so bad," Jason said. "I don't like his followers much. . ."**

Suddenly, a loud pop sounded, again. But it sounded like when you have a bottle of wine, and you pop the cork out.

A fresh, somewhat nice, smell of grapes filled the air and sitting in Mr. D's throne thingy, was Bacchus.

He raised his head and smiled, "What? No applause for the giant slayer?"

"He _did what_ now?" Campers asked, staring at him with disbelief.

Percy muttered, "Yeah, he killed a giant. Well...yeah. He killed the giant."

"Of course I killed the giant." Bacchus said, sending a glare at Percy, as if daring him to say something.

"Can I continue now?" Annabeth asked, sending Percy a glare as he opened his mouth to say something.

"Yeah. Sorry."

**Piper shuddered. Jason, Leo, and she had had an encounter with the maenads a few months ago and almost gotten torn to pieces. **

"Oh, lovely!"

**"But the gods himself is okay, "Jason continued. "I did him a favor once up in wine country." **

**Percy looked appalled. "Whatever, man. Maybe he's better on the Roman side.-**

"Definitely better on the Roman side." The gods all said together.

Bacchus rolled his eyes as Ares chuckled and said, "You old drunk."

Clarisse looked at her father and looked at Percy, "Did he just say that nicely? Like, in a fond way?"

"Ugh-huh." Percy answered.

**-But why would he be hanging around in Kansas. Didn't Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?" **

**Frank grunted. **

**The big guy was wearing a blue tracksuit this morning, like he was ready to go for a jog in the sunflowers. **

Some campers chuckled and snickered.

Percy shot them an annoyed look and nudged Annabeth in her shoulder to keep reading.

**"The gods haven't been very good at following _that_ order, " he noted. "Besides, if the gods _have _gone schizophrenic like Hazel said-"**

"They went _what_?" The campers asked, while the Athena children rolled their eyes.

"It means like a split personality. Greek and Roman." Malcolm answered.

**(A/N: I had to look that up.)**

**"And _Leo_ said, " added Leo. **

**Frank scowled at him. "Then who knows what's going on with the Olympians? Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."**

"Yes. Very bad." Hera said, glancing pointly at the gods.

**"Sounds dangerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully.**

"Because we all love danger!" Travis said, smiling at the Hermes cabin, who all grinned back.

"Yeah! Go kill people!" The Ares cabin cheered.

Mrs. O'Leary barked and Percy patted her snout affectionately and said, "Relax, girl. You might break that window."

**"Well . . . you guys have fun. I've got to finish repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And uh, Annabeth-I could really use your help. You're the only other person who even _sort of_ understands engineering."**

Nyssa nodded and said, "It's a good thing they brought you along."

Annabeth shrugged and said, "I just wanted to see Percy again."

**Annabeth looked apologetically at Percy. **

**"He's right. I should stay and help."**

**"I'll come back to you." He kissed her on the cheek. "Promise."**

"You two are acting like one of you guys is going to die if you leave each other for a minute. Did something happen that we should know about?" Chris asked, gesturing to the rest of the campers.

Percy and Annabeth exchanged looks.

_"Should be tell them?" Percy expression asked that question. _

Annabeth thought about it for a second and then shook her head.

_"No. Not yet." She stared back at him and he nodded when he understood the look. _

"No."

They both answered, looking at the campers.

Nobody bought it except for a few of the younger campers, who continued to chat to their siblings and laugh.

Chris narrowed his eyes and glanced at Thalia, who was staring at Percy, with her eyebrows furrowed.

**They were so easy together,-**

At that small comment, campers busted out laughing and Percy raised one eyebrow.

"Percy and Annabeth? Easy? No way. I think you got the wrong couple, Piper."

**-it made Piper's heart ache. **

**Jason was great, of course. But sometimes he acted so distant, like last night, when he'd been reluctant to talk about that old Roman legend. So often he seemed to be thinking of his old life at Camp Jupiter. Piper wondered if she could ever be able to break through that barrier. **

**The trip to Camp Jupiter, seeing Reyna in person, hadn't helped.**

"I don't think it would've helped anyone." Harley said.

**Neither did the fact that Jason had chosen to wear a purple shirt today-the color of the Romans. **

**Frank slid his bow off his shoulders and propped it against the rail. "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for Roman eagles."**

"Smart." Ares said.

"Well, he is a son of Mars."

**"Why a crow?" Leo asked. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time. That's the coolest."**

"Because it's hard and takes a lot of strength and energy." Ares scowled at the spot where Frank used to be sitting.

"But it's coole- I'm kidding. I'm kidding." Apollo said, raising his hands in front of him when Ares glared at him.**  
**

**Frank's face looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. "That's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it's hard, and you hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."**

"Nicely said kid."

**"Oh." Leo nodded. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."**

**"Yeah. Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr.-"**

**Hazel stepped between them.**

Hades nodded approvingly and said, "Don't them tear out each other throat's, daughter."

Aphrodite sigh and said, "A lovely love triangle."

**"I'll help you, Frank," she said, shooting Leo an evil look. "I can summon Arion and scout around below."**

**"Sure," Frank said, still glaring at Leo. "Yeah, thanks."**

**Piper wondered what was going on with those three. The boys were showing off for Hazel and razzing each other- _that_ she understood. But it almost seemed like Hazel and Leo had a history. So far as she knew, they'd met for the first time just yesterday. She wondered if something else had happened on their trip to the Great Salt Lake- something they hadn't mention. **

"Oh yeah, because you always want to tell your friends that you held hands with a pretty girl, really close together, who has a boyfriend who's muscular and twice your size." Apollo snorted.

Several goddess couldn't help but smirk at him.

"Speaking from experience Apollo?" Aphrodite smirked.

**Hazel turned to Percy. "Just be careful when you go out there. Lots of fields, lots of crops. Could be _karpoi _on the loose."**

**_"Karpoi?"_**** Piper asked. **

"Grain spirits." Demeter answered the questioning looks of the campers.

**"Grain spirits, " Hazel said. "You don't want to meet them."**

**Piper didn't see how a grain spirit could be so bad, but Hazel's tone convinced her not to ask.**

Apollo laughed and said, "That funny. Someone convincing a charmspeaker."

**"That leaves three of us to check on the mile marker," Percy said. "Me, Jason, Piper.-**

"Don't even start." Percy said as Annabeth opened her mouth to correct his grammar.

**-I'm not psyched about seeing Mr. D. That guy is a pain. But, Jason, if you're on better terms with **

**him-"**

**"Yeah," Jason said. "If we find him, I'll talk to him. Piper, it's your vision. You should take the first lead."**

**Piper shivered. She'd seen the three of them drowning in that dark well. Was Kansas where it would happen? That didn't seem right, but she couldn't be sure. **

"It's not there, right?" Thalia asked.

"No," Percy shook his head. "It was when Annabeth was in-" He voice faltered as Annabeth flexed her ankle and he muttered, "Forget it."

**"Of course," she said, trying to sound upbeat. "Let's find the highway."**

**Leo had said they were close. His idea of "close" needed some work. **

Percy rolled his eyes, "No kidding. That walk was miserable."

**After trudging half a mile through hot fields, getting bitten by mosquitoes and whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers, they finally reached the road. **

Travis raised his head and said, "I've been whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers before. It hurt."**  
**

**An old billboard for Bubba's Gas 'n' Grub indicated they were still forty miles from the first Topeka exit. **

Campers groaned.

"Great, just what you need."

**"Correct my math, "Percy said, "but doesn't that mean we have eight miles to walk?"**

"Yep!"

**Jason peered both ways down the deserted street. He looked better today, thanks to the magical healing of ambrosia and nectar. His color was back to normal, and the scar on his forehead had almost vanished. The new _gladius _that Hera had given him last winter hung from his belt. Most guys would look pretty awkward walking around with a scabbard strapped to their jeans, but on Jason it seemed perfectly natural. **

Some guys shrugged and said, "It depends on the person."

** "No cars . . ." he said. "But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."**

"Oh, now that would be fun. Three powerful demigods hitchhiking and getting into a mortals car?"

**"No," Piper agreed, gazing nervously down the highway. "We've already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea's territory." **

**"Hmmm. . ." Jason snapped his fingers. "I can call a friend for a ride."**

Several campers looked confused.

"A friend?"

**Percy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? Me too. Let's see whose friend gets here first."**

**Jason whistled. Piper knew what he was doing, but he'd succeeded in summoning Tempest only three times since they'd meet the storm spirit at the Wolf House last winter.**

Zeus looked surprised. "He summoned a storm spirit?"

Thalia glanced at the book and then snatched it from Annabeth and gazed at the cover.

"Your calling Blackjack? He's calling a storm spirit which looks very like this horse on the cover, of you two with your swords out and getting ready to murder each other. WHAT happened?"

Annabeth looked at Percy, who sighed, "No much. Just a little...fight sorta."

"You fought!" The campers yelled.

Annabeth yanked the book from Thalia's hands and continued reading.

**Percy simply closed his eyes and concentrated. **

"Don't hurt yourself!" Clarisse told Percy, jokingly.

He ignored her.

**Piper hadn't studied him up close before. After hearing much at Camp Half-Blood about Percy Jackson _this_ and Percy Jackson _that_, she thought he looked. . . well, unimpressive,-**

"Piper!" The campers yelled at the book.

Poseidon and Grover scowled while Percy broke out into laughter.

Everyone in the room looked confused at him as he laughed, then he stopped and said, "What do you expect her to think of me? I'm a troublemaker and teacher's send me to detention for just walking into class. I just have that look. And I'm next to her boyfriend, who's a perfect demigod and a son of Zeus at that. I'm supposed to look unimpressive next to children of Zeus, or Jupiter, whatever."

**(A/N: I yelled, "Piper!" really loud when I read this for the first time. But I thought about it** f**or a minute and this is why I think she called him that. I still think he's impressive, because he's done amazing things and is very loyal.)**

**-especially next to Jason. Percy was more slender, about an inch shorter, with slightly longer, much darker hair. **

"And much messier hair." Annabeth added.

Percy gazed at the book and then said, "Did she just call me fat?"

Thalia rolled her eyes at her cousin and said, "No, I think she means...you have more of a leaner body. Like a swimmer."

That was when Chris rolled his eyes, "Really Piper? I thought blonde hair was darker than black hair."

**He wasn't really Piper's type.**

Percy laughed, "Obviously not."

**If she'd seen him in the mall somewhere, she probably would've thought his was a skater-**

"Really? A skater? is that what I look like?" Percy asked the campers.

"You're kinda in between skater and surfer."

**-cute in a scruffy way, a little on the wild side, definitely a troublemaker. **

"Aww, she called you cute in a scruffy way. Wait, is that a compliment?" Thalia questioned.

Aphrodite nodded, "Yes. He has the rugged handsome troublemaker look. Like Matt Bomer!"

**(A/N: Anyone watch White Collar? Matt kinda reminded me of Percy when I first watched the show.)**

"Who?" Percy asked.

"Nothing. Of course you look like a troublemaker."

**She would've steered clear. She had enough trouble in her life. But she could see why Annabeth liked him and she could definitely see why Percy needed Annabeth in his life. **

"To leash him in?" Travis asked, smirking.

"Shut up, I'm not a dog." Percy said.

**If anyone could keep a guy like that under control, it was Annabeth.**

Campers chuckled as Annabeth smirked at Percy.

"What do you mean? A guy like that?" Percy asked.

"A troublemaker who's blow up 10 schools?"

Percy snorted, "It was like...7 schools I blew up. Maybe? I don't remember."

Chiron couldn't help but smile, "She does keep you under control Percy."

"It doesn't mean I have to like it." Percy muttered.

**Thunder cracked in the clear sky.**

**Jason smiled. "Soon."**

**"Too late." Percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling towards them. **

"Blackjack?" Travis asked and Percy nodded.

**At first, Piper thought it might be Frank in crow form. Then she realized it was much too big to be a bird. **

**"A black pegasus?" she said. "Never seen one like that."**

"He helped with the search for Percy, maybe that's why." Annabeth answered.

**The winged stallion came in for a landing. He trotted over to Percy and nuzzled his face,-**

"Awww..." Most of the campers cooed. **(A/N: I thought that part was so cute! Blackjack missed Percy.)**

"He missed you, Percy." Annabeth said, smiling at her boyfriend.

"I missed him to." He answered.

**-then turned his head inquisitively toward Piper and Jason.**

**"Blackjack, " Percy said, "this is Piper and Jason. They're friends."**

**The horse nickered. **

"That would be so freaky to see." A young Nike campers whispered.

**"Uh, maybe later, " Percy answered.**

"What did he say?" Annabeth asked.

Percy shrugged, "Something like _Boss, I missed you. We were all so worried about you, especially the blonde girl and the other Pegasus We would never stopped looking for you, boss. Do you have any donuts?"_

Campers rolled their eyes, some laugh and Poseidon chuckled.

"He's a good horse."

**Piper had heard that Percy could speak to horses, being a son of the horse lord Poseidon, but she'd never seen it in action. **

"Because there are no other children of Poseidon alive. They're haven't been in like 100 years." Hera said.

**"What does Blackjack want?" Piper asked. **

**"Donuts," Percy said. "Always donuts. He can carry all three of us if-"**

**Suddenly the air turned cold. Piper's ears popped. About fifty yards away, a miniature cyclone three stories tall tore across the tops of the sunflowers like a scene from _The Wizard of Oz._**

Travis and Connor laughed and said, "That's what we said!"

**It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse- a misty steed with lightning flickering through its body.**

"Cool." Thalia smiled.

**"Tempest, " Jason said, grinning broadly. "Long time, my friend."**

"He sounds so formal."

"No kidding."

**The storm spirit reared and whinnied. Blackjack backed up skittishly.**

**"Easy, boy," Percy said. "He's a friend too." He gave Jason an impressed look. "Nice ride, Grace."**

Travis shrugged and picked at his fingers with a old credit card that was in his pocket. "I'd be entirely uncomfortable on that."

**Jason shrugged. "I made friends with him during our fight at the Wolf House. He's a free spirit, literally, but once in a while he agrees to help me."**

**Percy and Jason climbed on their respective horses. Piper had never been comfortable with Tempest. Riding full gallop on a beast that could vaporize at any moment made her a bit nervous.**

"A bit?" Chris asked.

"I would be very nervous."

**Nevertheless, she accepted Jason's hand and climbed on. **

**Tempest raced down the road with Blackjack soaring overhead. Fortunately, they didn't pass any cars, or they might have caused a wreck. In no time, they arrived at the thirty two-mile marker, which looked exactly like Piper had seen in her vision.**

"Good," Chiron nodded, "Just find Bacchus."

**Blackjack landed. Both horses pawed the asphalt. Neither looked pleased to have stopped so suddenly, just when they'd found their stride. **

"I don't like that either." Thalia said.

The Hunters and Artemis nodded in agreement with the daughter of Zeus.

**Blackjack whinnied. **

**"Your right, " Percy said. "No sign of the wine dude."**

Campers would've began laughing, but Bacchus scowled at Percy.

"I beg your pardon."

**"I beg your pardon?" said a voice from the fields. **

**Tempest turned so quickly, Piper almost fell off. **

"That would've sucked."

**The wheat parted, and the man from her vision stepped into view. He wore a wide-brimmed hat wreathed with grapevines, a purple short-sleeve shirt, khaki shorts, and Birkenstocks with white socks. He looked maybe thirty, with a slight potbelly, like a frat boy who hadn't yet realized college was over. **

Campers looked at the Roman version of their director and saw he was wearing the exact same thing as described.

"I don't look like a frat boy. I look better than a frat boy."

Zeus rolled his eyes and muttered, "No you don't."

**"Did someone just call me the _wine dude?_" he asked in a lazy drawl. "It's Bacchus, please. Or Mr. Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don't-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus." **

The gods laughed at that and Bacchus's eyes grew purple and burned with annoyance.

He chucked a pinecone at Apollo, who raised his finger and pointed at the flying projectile.

It bursted into flames and Poseidon waved his hand, making the flames go out and slammed the pinecone into Apollo's face.

"They're a children here, Apollo. Don't burn down the Big House."

"Sorry." Apollo said, spitting out the pinecone.

**Percy urged Blackjack forward, though the pegasus didn't seem happy about it. **

"He wasn't." Percy said. "He told me that it'd better not be like last time."

"What last time?" Chiron asked, looking confused.

"Oh...yeah. When I snuck out to find Annabeth on that quest that guys weren't allowed on."

Thalia glared at him, "And you slammed into me and knocked me down. Yeah, I remember that clearly." She rubbed her shoulder and Percy smiled at her apologetically.

**"You look different, " Percy told the god.**

"Oh, this'll be good." Connor said, rubbing his hands together.

Annabeth groaned.

**"Skinner. Your hair is longer. And your shirt isn't as loud."**

**The wine god squinted up at him. "What in blazes are you talking about? Who are you, and where is Ceres?"**

"He sounds like someone from _Scooby-Doo_."

"Ha! Jenkies."

**"Uh. . . what is series?"**

"Percy!"

Campers groaned as Percy smiled, "Sorry, you know it's really pushing it for me, to know both Roman and Greek names."

**"I think he means Ceres," Jason said. "The goddess of agriculture. You'd call her Demeter."**

"What'd you mean? _You'd_ call her Demeter?"

"It's because I'm Greek." Percy said.

**He nodded respectfully to the god. "Lord Bacchus, do you remember me? I helped you with that missing leopard in Sonoma?"**

**Bacchus scratched his stubby chin. "Ah . . . yes. John Green."**

"Not even close." The campers laughed.

"Oh, Mr. D."

**"Jason Grace."**

"Not going to help, Jason. He get's everyone's name wrong."

"Yeah, look who's talking, Peter Johnson." Thalia said.

**"Whatever," the god said. "Did Ceres send you, then?"**

**"No, Lord Bacchus," Jason said. "Were you expecting to meet her here?"**

**The god snorted. "Well, I didn't come to Kansas to _party_, my boy-**

"Are you sure?" Zeus asked.

The wine gods rolled his eyes and said, "No. I'm not from this time period. It hasn't happened yet."

**-Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The _karpoi _are in revolt. Even my grapes aren't safe. Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war."**

**Demeter nodded like this was a brilliant idea, while the rest of the Campers and Hunters were looking at each other, like _What the Hades?_**

**"The plant war," Percy said. **

"Guys!" Will stood up and spread out his hands. "We are _totally_ going to learn this in school. The plant war is going to a famous time in history!"

Campers nodded in agreement, while the gods chuckled.

**"You're going to arm all the little grape vines with tiny assault rifles."**

Bacchus snorted, "Yes. That's exactly what I'm going to do."

Campers were chuckling and Annabeth put her forehead against Percy shoulder and muttered to him.

"Idiot. When are you going to learn?"

But her voice was quivering slightly with laughter.

**The god narrowed his eyes. "Have we met?"**

"Yes." The Campers and Hunter chorused, along with the gods.

"Watch out Percy." Hestia warned him.

"Too late."

**"At Camp Half-Blood," Percy said, "I know you as Mr. D- Dionysus."**

**"Agh!" Bacchus winced and pressed his hands to his temples. For a moment, his image flickered. Piper saw a different person- fatter, dumpier, in a much louder, leopard-pattered shirt. **

"Nice description, Piper." One of the gods said.

** The Bacchus returned to being Bacchus. "Stop that!" he demanded. "Stop thinking about me in Greek!"**

**Percy blinked. "Uh, but-"**

**"Do you have any idea how _hard _it is to stay focused? Splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I'm doing or where I'm going! Constantly grumpy!" **

**"That sounds pretty normal for you, " Percy said. **

Annabeth banged her head against his shoulder lightly several times, as if trying to smash her brain in.

"Will you ever shut up, Seaweed Brain?"

"Sor- You know I can't help it. I blurt things out all of the time."

"You still need to work on it." Annabeth said.

**The god's nostrils flared. One of his grape leaves on his hat burst into flame. "If we know each other from that _other_ camp, it's a wonder I haven't already turned you into a dolphin." **

"Oh, it's been discussed. Several times actually." Chiron said.

Bacchus sneered, "Why don't I just turn you into a patch of kelp and send you back to your-"

"No." Poseidon said and glared at him.

The wine god narrowed his eyes but said nothing at Hera's warning look.

**"It was discussed, " Percy assured him. "I think you were just too lazy to do it." **

"You are not making things better." Most of the campers said.

"I know."

**Piper had been watching with a horrified fascination, the way she might watch a car wreck in progress. Now she realized Percy was _not _making things better, and Annabeth wasn't here to rein him in. **

"Seriously? Why does everyone think I need Annabeth to rein me in?"

"It's just your personality Percy, nothing's wrong with that. You just have a somewhat short temper. And you sometimes have problems controlling your anger." Annabeth pointed out.

He fiddled with hands for a moment before letting out a tired sigh.

"I know."

**Piper figured her friend would never forgive her if she brought Percy back transformed into a sea mammal.**

"Depends." Annabeth said.

Percy looked at her horrified. "What do you mean, _it depends_? Depends on _what_?"

"If your deserved it or not."

"Why would I deserve it?" He retorted.

"Because you can't keep-"

A pillow slammed into the back of both of their heads and they turned to see Thalia and Clarisse.

"Shut up, stop arguing and read the book." Thalia snapped.

The couple glared at them and then Percy turned around, staring down at his fingers.

Annabeth watched him for a moment and then continued reading.

**"Lord Bacchus!" she interrupted, slipping off Tempest's back.**

**"Piper, careful." Jason said.**

**She shot him a warning glance: _I've got this._**

**"Sorry to trouble you, my lord," she told the god, "but actually we came here to get your advice. Please, we need your wisdom."**

"We do." Annabeth muttered.

**She used her most agreeable tone, pouring respect into her charmspeak. ****The god frowned, but the purple glow faded in his eyes. **

**"You're well-spoken, girl. Advice, eh? Very well. I would avoid karaoke. Really, theme parties in general are out. In these austere times, people are looking for a simple, low-key affair, with a locally produced organic snacks and-"**

"_Wait, what_?"

"Just keep reading." Thalia told Annabeth, who looked slightly confused.

**"Not about parties," Piper interrupted. "Although that was incredible useful advice, Lord Bacchus. We were hoping you'd help us on our quest."**

**She explained about the _Argo II _and their voyage to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. She told him what Nemesis had said: that in six days, Rome would be destroyed. She described the vision reflected in her knife, where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet.**

**"Silver goblet?" The god didn't sound very excited. He grabbed a Diet Pepsi from nowhere and popped the top of the can.**

"You drink Diet Coke." All the campers said.

Bacchus snorted, "I don't know what you're talking about _Greeks_."

**"You drink Diet Coke." Percy said. **

"Wow."

**"I don't know what you're talking about, "Bacchus snapped. "As for this vision of the goblet, young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want Pepsi. Jupiter has put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors. Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought in the first Giant war, you know."**

Some looked at him with disbelief.

"That's what you got out of that?" Katie asked.

"Yes, young lady. Anything else?" He asked.

The daughter of Demeter shook her head and muttered something about him being ridiculous.

**"You can fight?" Percy asked. **

**Piper wished he hadn't sounded so incredulous. **

"He's probably going to hurt you." Annabeth muttered under her breath, but Percy heard her and mumbled, "He was going to."

She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Look, I didn't mean what I said earlier. I just don't want to lose you to something stupid like-"

"Being turned into a sea mammal?" He whispered, turned and looking at her.

She managed a very small smile and said, "Yeah."

"I don't either. But...Annabeth, I can take care of myself."

"I know, but your such a Seaweed Brain, sometimes."

He placed a kiss on her temple and muttered, "I know, but you know I don't like being protected by other people. It just feels-"

"Wrong? Because of your fatal flaw."

"Yes."

**Dionysus snarled. His Diet Pepsi transformed into a five-foot staff wreathed in ivy, topped with a pinecone.**

**"A _thyrsus!_" Piper said, hoping to distract the god before he whacked Percy on the head. She'd seen weapons like that before in the hands of crazy nymphs, and wasn't thrilled to see one again, but she tried to sound impressed. "Oh, what a mighty weapon!"**

**"Indeed," Bacchus agreed. "I'm glad _someone_ in your group is smart. The pinecone is a fearsome tool of destruction!-**

"Like Pinecone Face!" Percy exclaimed.

Thalia grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

**-I was a demigod myself in the Giant War, you know. The son of Jupiter."**

Thalia winced.

**Jason flinched. Probably wasn't thrilled to be reminded that the Wine Dude was technically his big brother.**

"And the Wine Dude has stuck!" Apollo applauded.

**Bacchus swung his staff through the air, through his potbelly almost threw him off balance. "Of course that was long before I invented wine and became an immortal. I fought side by side with the gods and some other demigods. . . Harry Cleese, I think."**

"Hercules?"

**"Heracles?" Piper suggested politely.**

**"Whatever," Bacchus said. "Anyways, I killed the giant Ephialtes and his brother Otis. Horrible boors, those two. Pinecone in the face for both of them!"**

Percy laughed at Thalia expression and she glared at him.

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain!"

"Don't call me that!" He said back to her.

**Piper held her breath. All at once, several ideas came together in her head- the visions in the knife, the lines of the prophecy they'd been discussing the night before. She felt like she used to when she was scuba diving with her father, and he would wipe her mask for her underwater. **

"Sounds fun." Poseidon said.

**Suddenly, everything was clearer. **

**"Lord Bacchus, " she said, trying to control the nervousness in her voice. "Those two giants, Ephialtes and Otis. . . would they happen to be twins?"**

Several campers and Hunters gasped.

"It's them! The twin giants!"

**"Hmm?" the gods seemed distracted by his _thyrsus _swinging, but he nodded. "Yes, twins. That's right."**

**Piper turned to Jason. She could tell he was following her thoughts: _Twins snuff out the angel's breath._**

**In the blade of Katoptris, she'd seen two giants in yellow robes, lifting a jar from a deep pit.**

"What deep pit?" Will asked.

A few gods glanced at each other but said nothing.

**"That's why we're here," Piper told the god. "You're part of our quest!"**

"I would've jumped overboard if that happen." Thalia muttered.

"So would I." Percy said.

"Gods don't do quests. That the _demigods _jobs." Bacchus said.

**Bacchus frowned. "I'm sorry, my girl. I'm not a demigod anymore. I don't _do_ quests." **

**"But the giants can only be killed by heroes and gods working together," she insisted. "You're a god now, and the two giants we have to fight are Ephiatles and Otis. I think. . . I think they're waiting for us in Rome. They're going to destroy the city somehow. The silver goblet I saw in my vision- maybe it's meant as a symbol for your help. You _have_ to help us kill the giants!"**

"Poor choice in words girl." Hermes said.

"Yes, poor choice indeed."

**Bacchus glared at her, and Piper realized she'd chosen her words poorly.**

"See?"

**"My girl," he said coldly, "I don't _have _to do anything. Besides, I only help those who give me a proper tribute, which no one has managed to do in many, many centuries."**

"They can manage it." Thalia said confidently, her blue eyes shining.

She flashed Percy a knowing smirk, "I know you can, Kelp."

He smirked at her.

"Of course we can."

**Blackjack whinnied uneasily.**

"Something's wrong?"

"What kind of tribute?" Poseidon asked.

No one answered his question.

**Piper couldn't blame him. She didn't like the sound of _tribute._**

"I volunteer for tribute!" Lou said, standing up and raising her hand.

**She remember the maenads, the crazed followers of Bacchus, who would tear up nonbelievers with their bare hands. And that was when they were in a _good _mood.**

**Percy voiced the question that she was too scared to ask. **

**"What kind of tribute?" **

**Bacchus waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing _you _could handle, insolent Greek. But I will give you some free advice, since this girl does have _some _manners. Seek out Gaea's son, Phorcys. He always hated his mother, not that I can blame him. He didn't have much use for his siblings the twins, either. You'll find him in the city they named after that heroine- Atalanta.**

"Close enough."

**Piper hesitated. "You mean Atlanta?"**

**"That's the one."**

"At least you know where to go?" Travis glanced at Percy and Annabeth.

Percy rubbed the back of his head and Annabeth glared at the book in her hands.

**"But this Phorcys," Jason said. "Is he a giant? A Titan?" **

"He'd better not be a Titan!"

**Bacchus laughed. "Neither. Seek out the salt water."**

Travis snorted.

"Oh, yeah, because that helps. _Salt Water_?"

**"Salt water . . ." Percy said. "In Atlanta?"**

**"Yes." Bacchus said. "Are you hard of hearing? If anyone can give you insight on Gaea and the twins, it's Phorcys. Just watch out for him." **

"Because it makes so much sense to tell them to go to him and then say he's dangerous." Hades said, rolling his eyes.

**"What do you mean?" Jason asked. **

**The god glanced at the sun, which had climbed almost to high noon. "It's unlike Ceres to be late, unless she sensed something dangerous in this area. Or. . ."**

"Maybe because something is dangerous in that area?" Hermes pointed out.

"Very dangerous." Percy muttered.

Mrs. O'Leary nudged his knee with her nose and licked his hand, letting out a low whimper.

Percy rubbed the spot behind her ear and said, "It's okay girl. I'm fine."

**The god's face suddenly went slack. "Or a trap?-**

"Isn't everything a trap?" Hestia muttered.

**-Well, I must be going! And if I were you, I'd do the same!"**

"You can't just leave them like that!" Thalia snapped.

**"Lord Bacchus, wait!" Jason protested. **

**The god shimmered and disappeared with a sound like a soda-can top popped.**

"Coward." Poseidon hissed.

Aphrodite nodded in agreement, worried for her daughter.

**The wind rustled through the sunflowers. The horses paced in agitation. Despite the dry, hot day, Piper shivered. A cold feeling. . . Annabeth and Leo both described a cold feeling. . . .**

"What's happening!" One Nike camper yelled.

"I don't know." Thalia whispered.

**"Bacchus is right, " she said.** **"We need to leave-"**

"Now! Leave now!"

**_Too late, _****said a sleepy voice, humming through the fields around them and resonating in the ground at Piper's feet.**

The whole room fell silent, staring at Annabeth.

"It's her. She speaking to you." Zeus said.

Percy nodded and said, "Yeah. She is."

**Percy and Jason drew their swords. Piper stood in the road between them, frozen in fear. **

**The power of Gaea was suddenly everywhere.**

No one dare comment, all eyes on Annabeth as she read.

**The sunflowers turned to look at themselves. The wheat bent towards them like a million scythes. **

A lot of the campers and gods winced, remembering Kronos last summer.

**_Welcome to my party,_**** Gaea murmured. Her voice reminded Piper of corn growing- a crackling, hissing, hot and persistent noise she used to hear at Grandpa Tom's on those quiet nights in Oklahoma. **

**_What did Bacchus say? _****the goddess mocked. _As simple, low-key affair with organic snack?.-_**

A younger camper from the Athena cabin whimpered and Malcolm put his arm around her, whispering to her quietly.

Chris whispered, "By _organic snacks_, she means-"

"Demigods." Percy answered him, wrapped his fingers around Annabeth's wrist when he felt her arms shaking with anger, steadying her hand.

Her grey eyes were flashing, like a million owls ready to tear out it's prey's throat.

Most of the campers looked alike: angry.

**_-Yes. For my snacks, I need only two: the blood of a female demigod, and the blood of a male. Piper, my dear, choose which hero will die with you._**

"What does she mean?" The gods yelled.

No one answered them.

**"Gaea!" Jason yelled. "Stop hiding in the wheat. Show yourself!" **

**_Such bravado, _****Gaea hissed. _But the other one, Percy Jackson-_**

Percy shifted in his seat and whispered into Annabeth's ear, "Continue, Annabeth. Please."

She swallowed hard and continued, her voice quivering slightly.

**_-also has appeal. Choose Piper McLean, or I will._**

Poseidon glared at the book and hissed, "You won't touch my son."

"You'd better not touch my cousin, or my brother or I'll-" Thalia then let out a angry growl and cursed Gaea under her breath.

**Piper's heart raced. Gaea meant to kill her. That was no surprise. But what was this about choosing one of the boys? Why would Gaea let either of them go? It had to be a trap.**

**"Your insane!" Piper shouted. "I'm not choosing anything for you!"**

**Suddenly, Jason gasped.**

Thalia was clenching her fist nervously, her eyes flickering to the book and at Annabeth's face, who looked extremely worried, maybe for Jason.

**He sat up straighter in his saddle.**

**"Jason!" Piper cried. "What's wrong-"**

**He looked down at her, his expression deadly calm. His eyes were not longer blue. They were glowing solid gold.**

Campers stared at the book in disbelief, while some winced and some looked angry, remembering Luke and Kronos.

"No..." Thalia whispered.

**"Percy, help!" Piper stumbled back from Tempest. **

"Come on." Thalia whispered, her fingers tearing at the couch.

Percy nodded to Annabeth, who then in turn, switched seats with Percy.

Percy plucked Thalia's hands from the couch and she dug her nails into his hand, as if they were playing _Mercy_.

"It'll be fine, Thals." He muttered and she relaxed her grip on his hand.

**But Percy galloped away from them. He stopped thirty feet down the road and wheeled his pegasus around. He raised his sword and pointed the tip towards Jason. **

"No." Most Campers whispered.

**_"One must die, " _****Percy said, but the voice wasn't his.**

"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." Thalia yelled and her voice trailed away into _very bad_ curse words that were in Greek.

**It was deep and hollow, like someone was whispering from inside the barrel of a cannon.**

"She's controlling both of you?" Poseidon asked.

"Yep." Percy muttered.

**"_I will choose." _Jason answered, in the same hollow voice.**

**"No!" Piper yelled. **

**All around her, the fields crackled and hissed, laughing in Gaea's voice as Percy and Jason charged at each other, their weapons ready. **

"No!"

"You're going to kill each other!"

"Give me the book!" Connor yelled and Annabeth threw the book to him, which he caught.

He flipped to the right page and read quickly, "**Piper XI**."

**I'm updating sometime next week, hopefully, because I have 3 days of StarTesting. Yay...my cat peed on my three pairs of Hi-Top Converse...I am so mad...at least it's Saturday! **

**Love, **

**BlackConverse3 **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey. Sorry, I had a lot of family problems. Like, to the point where my mom got annoyed and took away my laptop. ****_Parents... _****okay. What am I doing? I'm tired, and starving, so it's the **_**perfect time**_** to write! I'll update tomorrow also, with the next chapter. Might be alike...12 at night. Or is it morning? Okay, I'm shutting up now. . .**

**Everything in bold, goes to Rick. **

**OH! And thanks for all the reviews, everyone who Favorited and . . . just read my story, your amazing and ****_most_**** of your reviews make my day. Except for the ones that are rude, that makes me get this really kinda bad feeling. Oh, and this chapter might suck...I just feel like it's not my best.**

Connor began quickly, "**Piper IX**."

**If not for the horses, Piper would've died. **

**Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack balked enough so Piper to leap out of the way. **

"Thank gods, hopefully she won't get hurt." Lacy whispered.

At lot of the campers had a mixture of fear, excitement, and nervousness in their eyes as Connor continued.

**She rolled to the edge of the road and looked back, dazed and horrified, as the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze. **

Thalia dug her nails deeper into Percy's hand, making him wince slightly.

"This is bad." She whispered, "Bronze against Gold, Greek against Roman. Did you get hurt? Did Jason get hurt? What happene-"

"Thals, relax. Everything turned out..." He paused for a moment, struggling to find the right word and then continued, "Fine. Everything turned out fine."

The daughter of Zeus loosened her grip and she felt a shiver run up her spine.

His voice was hesitant and his sea-green eyes flickered towards Annabeth as he tried to find the right word. He was _lying_.

_But why? _**(Cough, Cough, Wink, Wink, Nudge, Nudge...Foreshadow, Foreshadow!)**

**Sparks flew. **

"That's not good." Poseidon muttered and glanced at Zeus and Hades.

"Big Three Fight?"

"Oh, remember that one time during Capture the Flag? With Thalia and Percy?" Connor asked.

The Hunters turned and glared at a few of the Campers.

**Their blades blurred-strike and parry-and the pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but Piper couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. **

"Practice." Percy shrugged as the newer campers looked at him with awe.

"Nah, it's pure skill." Poseidon beamed at his son, who completely ignored him and went on comforting Thalia as she finally drew blood.

"Well, Percy practices...maybe 2 hours a day when he's at camp. And he teaches the sword fighting classes, so it's not really surprising."

"And Jason's the praetor of Rome, so he has to be good at fighting."

**The horses pulled away from each other-Tempest thundering in protest and Blackjack flapping his wings.**

**"Stop it!" Piper yelled. **

**For a moment, Jason heeded her voice. His golden eyes turned toward her, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into Jason. **

"Good job Percy, because that's what we needed at the moment." Travis said dryly and Percy rolled his eyes.

"I was possessed too, Travis."

**Thank the gods- Percy turned his sword- maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally- so the flat of it hit Jason's chest, but the impact was still enough to knock Jason off his mount. **

"I did that on purpose. Besides, Greeks fight like that anyways." Percy muttered.

**Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse charged into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapor. **

**Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.**

"Good." Many gods said and Thalia nodded.

"It is good, even through you knocked my brother to the ground, Kelp."

**"Percy!" Piper yelled. "Jason's your friend.-**

Percy shrugged, "We kind had a little rivalry going on, but we're cool now."

**-Drop your weapon!"**

**Percy's sword arm dipped. Piper might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately Jason got to his feet. **

Several campers groaned.

"This isn't going to be good."

**Jason roared.**

"RAWR!" Travis roared at Katie.

The daughter of Demeter rolled her eyes and shoved him away from her.

"Idiot."

**A bolt of lightning arched out of the clear blue sky.**

"Great. Just what we need." Hermes muttered and several campers and Hunters groaned.

_This was going to be a long chapter._

**It ricocheted off his _gladius _and blasted Percy off his horse. Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields. **

"Nice job. Just what you need. Two children of the Big Three fighting and they also have leadership issues and happen to be the Greek and Roman leaders of two rival camps. Just perfect." Hades said sarcastically.

"Oh. My. Gods. Uncle Hades, you were just being sarcastic! Give me five."

Apollo and Hades hi-fived and then Hades cleared his throat, leaning back in his throne and straightened his robes...or cloak-thingy? and gave Connor a hard look, "Well, son of Hermes? Have you lost your tongue?"

Connor quickly continued.

**Jason charged at Percy, who was now on his back, his clothes smoking from the lightning blast. **

"Come on Piper!" Thalia yelled. "Get my brother and that idiot under control."

Campers nodded in agreement.

Percy then glared at her and complained, "Hey!"

"My bad. Just get the idiot under control so he doesn't do anything to get himself killed."

"Thalia." Chiron scolded.

**For a horrible moment, Piper couldn't find her voice. Gaea seemed to be whispering to her: _You must choose one. Why not let Jason kill him?_**

"No!" The single word echoed across the Big House.

"Come on Piper." Lacy whispered.

**"No!" she screamed. "Jason, stop!" **

"Please, Jason. You have to stop." Thalia pleaded to the book that rested in Connor's hands.

**He froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face. **

"Swords in the face don't feel too good." Hades commented.

Apollo muttered, "No kidding." As he rubbed his nose.

**Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. _"I cannot stop. One must die."_**

**Something about that voice . . . it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language. **

Athena narrowed her grey eyes at Annabeth, asking her a silent question.

Annabeth nodded and mouthed _Eidolons._

_Great. _Athena's thoughts muttered. _Just what they needed. _

**"Who are you?" Piper demanded. **

A few campers leaned forward, curious to see what was controlling the two boys.

**Jason's mouth twisted in a gruesome smile. _"We are the eidolons. We will live again."_**

The gods groaned with annoyance.

"Is just had to be them. Didn't it?" Hestia muttered.

**"Eidolons . . . ?" Piper mind raced. She'd studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, but that term wasn't familiar. "You're - you're some sort of ghost?"**

**_"He must die." _****Jason turned his attention back to Percy, but Percy had recovered more than either of them had realized. **

Clarisse muttered something about _Percy_ and _annoying prat._

**He swept out his leg and knocked Jason off his feet. **

A few campers winced, remembering have the same thing happen to them during training.

**Jason's head hit the asphalt with a nauseating _conk._**

**Percy rose. **

**"Stop it!" Piper screamed again, but there was no charmspeak in her voice. She was shouting in sheer desperation. Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest. **

**Panic closed up Piper's throat. She wanted to attack Percy with her dagger, but she knew that wouldn't help. Whatever was controlling him had all of Percy's skill. There was no way she could beat him in combat.**

"You could try and kick his butt?" Thalia whispered, earning an faint smile from Percy.

"She could, if she charmspoke me."

"Not that we need a _big-headed_ Percy walking around, but I honestly don't think she could beat you in combat." Annabeth answered. "She was more focused on enhancing her charmspeaking abilities then on combat." **(A/N: I'm probably wrong.)**

**She forced herself to focus. She poured all of her anger into her voice. **

**"Eidolon, stop." **

"A plan worthy for a daughter of Athena." Racheal smiled, looking at Annabeth, who smiled back.

"It is clever."

**Percy froze. **

**"Face me." Piper ordered. The son of the sea god turned. His eyes were gold instead of green, his face pale and cruel, not at all like Percy's.**

"Nice of you to notice, even though you've known him for only a few days." Poseidon said.

"She's pretty observant."

**_"You have not chosen." _****he said. _"So this one will die." _**

Thalia grabbed the pillow from the Nike campers near her, who whined in protest and slammed it into Connor's face.

"Don't read with _that_ voice!" She snapped. "It sounds like _she's_ speaking to us!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry." The Stoll said and rubbed his face where the pillow had struck.

**"You're a spirit from the Underworld," Piper guessed. "You're possessing Percy Jackson. Is that it?" **

**Percy sneered. _"I will live again in this body. The Earth Mother has promised. I will go where I please, control whom I wish." _**

A few Athena cabin members gasped and yelled, "They controlled Leo!"

Annabeth smiled dryly, "Yes. They controlled Leo as well."

**A wave of cold washed over Piper. "Leo. . .that's what happened to Leo. he was controlled by an eidolon." The thing in Percy's laughed without humor. **

Hermes scowled, "You shouldn't laugh without humor."

**_"Too late you realize. You can trust no one." _**

**Jason still wasn't moving. Piper had no help, no way to protect him. **

Percy glanced at Thalia and said, "Oh, sorry about that."

"Its fine, it wasn't you fault."

"But, I know exactly how she feels." Percy muttered under his breath.

**Behind Percy, something rustled in the wheat. Piper saw the tip of a black wing,-**

"BLACKJACK! THAT'S PERFECT!" Grover yelled and grinned at Percy, who raised his eyebrow.

"Uh-huh."

**-and Percy began to turn towards the sound. **

**"Ignore it!" she yelped. "Look at me." **

**Percy obeyed. **

Connor gasped and put his hand over his heart.

"Per-Percy...you obeyed." He stared watery-eyed at his friend.

"The world is ending!"

**_"You cannot stop me. I will kill Jason Grace." _**

**Behind him, Blackjack emerged from the wheat field, moving with surprising stealth for such a large animal. **

"He is pretty good with that. You know, when he's not hungry." Percy commented.

"He almost knocked me over, to get the sugar cubes in your hand last time in the stables." Malcolm grumbled.

**"You won't kill him." Piper ordered. But she wasn't looking at Percy. She locked eyes with the pegasus, pouring all her power into her words and hoping Blackjack would understand. **

**"You will knock him out." **

"Ohh...that's gotta hurt." Thalia said.

"He hit you with his hoof?" Grover asked and his best friend nodded.

"That sucks. Did you feel it?"

"I blacked out when he hit me, I honestly don't remember the impact." Percy answered.

**_"I . . . will knock him out?" _**

**"Oh sorry." Piper smiled. "I wasn't talking to you."**

"She smiled? Who smiled when their saying that?" Chris asked.

Annabeth shrugged, "She wanted to protect her boyfriend. It's not that surprising."

**Blackjack reared and brought his hoof down on Percy's head. Percy crumbled to the pavement next to Jason. **

"Don't kill him Blackjack!"

"Great. All you need to do is get them back to the ship." Athena nodded.

"But they're both heavy, so it might take a while." Clarisse pointed out. **  
"Oh gods!" Piper ran to the boys. "Blackjack, you didn't _kill _him, did you?" **

Percy rolled his eyes and chuckled, "He wouldn't. He knows his strengths and he didn't mean it."

**The pegasus snorted. Piper couldn't speak horse, but she thought he might have said: _Please. I know my own strength." _**

**Tempest was nowhere to be seen. The lightning steed-**

Hermes snickered, "Isn't that what Hera called Zeus?"

Apollo busted out laughed and said, "Yeah, she totally does!"

"What?" Thalia asked.

The sun gods smiled and said, "Hera called Zeus _her lightning steed." _

**(I just realized that kinda sounded wrong. It wasn't meant to be wrong, promise. It just came to me and I couldn't pass down a golden opportunity. Don't worry, I'm insane. You all know that. :) )**

Campers busted out laughing and Thalia and Percy bit their lips so they didn't laugh out loud.

The gods broke into laughter and a few minutes passed before they were able to settle down, "Okay. Okay. It's funny. Continue."

Connor nodded, his face completely red form the laughter.

"Ah...I can't breathe...I can't breathe."

**-had apparently returned to wherever storm spirits live on clear days. **

Chuckles rippled through the room, some still trying to calm down from what Apollo and Hermes said.

**Piper checked on Jason. He was breathing steadily, but two knocks on the skull in two days couldn't have been good for him. Then she examined Percy's head. She didn't see any blood, but a large knot was forming where the horse had kicked him. **

"Thank the gods, your both okay." Thalia whispered and squeezed Percy hand, who gave her a smile.

"Of course we are, Pinecone Face."

"Shut up, Kelp-butt."

**"We have to get them both back to the ship." She told Blackjack. The pegasus bobbed his head . He knelt to the ground, so Piper could drape Percy and Jason over his back. After a lot of hard work (unconscious boys are heavy),-**

"Nah, that's just Perc-"

Mrs. O'Leary barked at Will, who shrunk back against his brother, Austin. "Sorry."

Percy grinned and scratched the back of her ear. "Good girl."

**-she got herself reasonably secured, climbed onto Blackjack's back herself, and they took off for the ship. **

**The others were a little surprised when Piper came back and pegasus with two unconscious demigods. **

"Really? I thought that was completely normal." Will said.

**While Frank and Hazel tended to Blackjack, Annabeth and Leo helped Piper and the boys to the sickbay. "At this rate, we're going to run out of ambrosia." **

"That's not good."

"Yeah, you guys need ambrosia." Apollo said, looking concerned.

**Coach Hedge grumbled as he tended their wounds. "How come I never get invited on these violent trips?"**

"Gods..." Grover groaned and Chiron let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"He didn't just say that." Chris muttered.

**Pier sat at Jason's side. She herself felt fine after a swig of nectar and some water, but she was still worried about the boys. **

**"Leo," Piper said, "are we ready to sail?"**

"Smart." Athena smiled, "Get out of their fast, Piper."

"She is a smart kid." Chiron nodded and Aphrodite smiled proudly.

**"Yeah. . .but-"**

**"Set course for Atlanta. I'll explain later." **

**"But. . .okay."**

**He hurried off. Annabeth didn't argue with Piper either. **

**She was too busy examining the horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Percy's head. **

**"What _hit _him?" she demanded. **

"Wow, Annabeth. No need to be rude." Travis joked, causing her to glare at him.

"I was worried! He came back unconscious, what would you do if something like that happened to Connor, or Katie?"

Travis's face paled and he argued, "I would hunt down whatever hurt them, because I care about them more than anything."

"Especially Katie?"

"Of course." He answered, making Connor smack him with the back of the book, looking annoyed.

Percy smirked, "Nice one."

"Athena always has a plan, Seaweed Brain." She smiled and kissed his cheek lightly.

**"Blackjack," Piper said. **

"Nice way to break the news to the girlfriend, Pipes." Mitchell said and then he gave Annabeth an apologetic look. "Sorry, Annabeth."

She looked down, remembering when she found out that Percy had disappeared. Chiron called a meeting and broke the news. Not one of her happiest days...or the next following 7 months.

**_"What!" _**

**Piper tried to explain while Coach Hedge applied some healing paste to the boy's heads. She'd never been impressed with Hedge's nursing abilities before, but he must have done something right. **

Grover warned, "Don't let him hear you say that, Piper."

**Either that, or the spirits that possessed the boys had also made them extra resilient. They both groaned and opened their eyes. Within a few minutes, Jason and Percy were sitting up in their berths and able to talk in complete sentences. **

Thalia smirked at her cousin, "Not too sure about that. By brother, yes, but Percy...I have to let you go."

Percy narrowed his sea-green eyes at her and shoved her shoulder.

"Come on, Thals. Give me a break."

"For **_one _**minute. Kelp, one minute." She raised one finger and then shocked his nose.

"Hey!"

**Both had fuzzy memories of what happened. When Piper described their duel on the highway, Jason winced. **

**"Knocked out twice in two days," he muttered. "Some demigod." He glanced sheepishly at Percy. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to blast you." **

"See problem solved!" Travis grinned.

"Shut it, Stoll." Clarisse growled.

**Percy's shirt was peppered with burn holes. His hair was even more disheveled than normal. **

Several campers snorted.

"More than normal. Nice Piper."

**Despite all that, he managed a weak laugh. **

Thalia put her arm around him and said, "You always laugh in the worst situations."

"Yeah, I know."

**"Not the first time. Your big sister got me good once at camp." **

Thalia and many of the Hunters smiled.

She grabbed Percy's head and kissed the top of it, "How you amazing brain works, Percy. No one will ever know."

**"Yeah, but . . .I could've killed you." **

**"Or I could've killed you, " Percy said. **

**Jason shrugged, "If there'd been an ocean in Kansas maybe." **

**"I don't need an ocean-"**

Annabeth groaned. "Idiot."

Chiron let out a sigh and shook his head. "Oh, Percy."

**"Boys," Annabeth interrupted, "I'm sure you both would've been wonderful at killing each other.-**

"Yes. Very." Percy grinned.

Thalia rolled her eyes, "Like we have a _very wonderful _time fighting?"

"Exactly, Thalia dear."

**-But right now, you need some rest."**

**"Food first," Percy said. "Please? And we really need to talk. Bacchus said some things that don't-"**

**"Bacchus." Annabeth raised her hand. "Okay, fine. We need to talk. Mess hall. Ten minutes. I'll tell the others. And please, Percy . . .change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."**

Campers and gods snorted and Pollux said, "Nice, Annabeth. Because he almost died and you want him to change his clothes because he smells?"

"He was fine." She protested.

**Leo gave the helm to Coach Hedge again, after making the satyr promise he would not steer them to the nearest military base "for fun". **

"That would be fun." Ares smiled and Clarisse nodded.

"Yeah, if they weren't in the middle of a quest and fighting for their lives."

**They gathered around the dining table, and Piper explained what had happened at Topeka 32- their conversation with Bacchus, the trap sprung by Gaea, the eidolons that had possessed the boys. **

"That's a lot to take in. Maybe too much." Hestia said, looking at Chiron worriedly, remembering the _tribute part. _

"**Of course!" Hazel slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito. "That's what happened to Leo too."**

"**So it wasn't my fault." Leo exhaled. "I didn't start World War Three. I just got possessed by an evil spirit. That's a relief!"**

Apollo smirked, "Because that's so much better."

Artemis looked at him like he was crazy, "It is better than starting World War Three."

"Pish Posh, Art, I was joking, don't get your bow string in a knot."

"I'll get your bow string in a knot." She snapped and Zeus demanded, "Silence. Connor, please continue."

"**But the Romans don't know that," Annabeth said. "And why would they take our word for it?"**

"Probably not." One of the Hunters said.

"**We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us."**

**Hearing the way Jason said her name, like it was a lifeline to his past, made Piper's heart sink.**

"Boys." Annabeth and Thalia shook their heads.

"Thanks." The boys in the room said saractically.

**Jason turned to her with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could."**

"Idiot." Thalia muttered. "That's not something you say to your girlfriend of your past...whatever she was."

"He wasn't thinking, Thalia."

**Piper felt like all the blood in her body was draining into her feet. Annabeth looked at her sympathetically, as if to say:**_**Boys are so clueless**_**. Even Hazel winced. **

"**I could try," she said halfheartedly. "But Octavian is the one we have to worry about. In my dagger blade, I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd. I'm not sure Reyna can stop him."**

"Sadly," Hephaestus stated, "he is a talker, he knows how to rally troops so they will be out for blood. Reyna won't be able to stop him."

**Jason's expression darkened. Piper didn't get any pleasure from bursting his bubble, but the other Romans—Hazel and Frank—nodded in agreement.**

"**She's right," Frank said. "This afternoon when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on the warpath."**

"How do you know their Roman eagles?" Will asked.

"Oh, I don't know? Maybe because Roman eagles have a certain flying maneuver and that's probably how Frank and Hazel recognized them?" Katie said.

"Sorry."

**Hazel grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian has always wanted. He'll try to seize power. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles … It's like they could smell us."**

Some campers paled.

"Come on, tell me they can't so that?" Austin asked.

"**They can," Jason said. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely—not from them."**

"Yeah, that's exactly what you need." Connor said.

"Just puts the topping on the ice cream doesn't it?" Phoebe muttered.

**Leo drummed his fingers. "Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time."**

Campers chuckled with amusement.

"Nice, Leo."

**Hazel frowned. "What is a chicken nugget?"**

Jaws dropped around the room.

"Is she serious?"

"She's never had a chicken nugget? Oh, man. Poor Hazel."

"**Oh, man …" Leo shook his head in amazement. "That's right. You've missed the last like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—"**

"**Doesn't matter," Annabeth interrupted.**

"Aww, come on, Annabeth. It does matter, their like the most-" Connor began but he was silenced by a look from Katie.

"Connor, keep reading. Please." She said in a sweet voice, making him swallow hard.

"**The point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us—"**

"**You're right." Jason leaned forward. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe—at least from the legion."**

"Good. Just get away from the Romans." Athena whispered.

"But then they'll be in trouble from the monsters. I honestly think that's worse than the Romans." A Nike campers said.

**He sounded so depressed, Piper didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or resentful. "How can you be sure?" she asked. "Why wouldn't they follow us?"**

"They're afraid to." Poseidon answered. "It's the ancient lands, it's forbidden."

"And it also helps the fact that it's Neptune's territory, and the Romans are afraid of him."

**He shook his head. "You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule."**

**Frank swallowed a bite of burrito like it had turned to cardboard in his mouth. "So, if we go there …"**

**"****We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," Jason confirmed. "Any Roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight. But I wouldn't worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they'll give up on chasing us. They'll assume that we'll die in the Mediterranean—the Mare Nostrum."**

"That's pleasant." Thalia muttered.

**Percy pointed his pizza slice at Jason. "You, sir, are a ray of sunshine."**

Several campers snorted with laughter. "Wow, Percy."

**Jason didn't argue. The other demigods stared at their plates, except for Percy, who continued to enjoy his pizza. Where he put all that food, Piper didn't know. The guy could eat like a satyr.**

"One reason Percy gets along with satyr's so well." Annabeth smirked.

"Hey! You know I eat a lot." Percy complained as she smirked.

"You seriously could have an eating contest with Coach Hedge and win, Seaweed Brain."

"Yeah, I would bet my money on Percy." Grover chuckled.

"**So let's plan ahead," Percy suggested, "and make sure we don't die. Mr. D—Bacchus— Ugh, do I have to call him Mr. B now?**

Dionysus rolled his eyes and said, "No thanks, Peter."

Thalia shook her head, "I can't believe you said that."

**Anyway, he mentioned the twins in Ella's prophecy. Two giants. Otis and, uh, something that started with an F?"**

"**Ephialtes," Jason said.**

"Eh, one letter off, Perce. I thought you'd do worse." Thalia said.

"Thanks Thalia."

"**Twin giants, like Piper saw in her blade …" Annabeth ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "I remember a story about twin giants. They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains."**

"Like Connor and Travis did with chairs to get onto the top of the Big House."

"Did it work?" Hermes asked Katie.

She laughed and shook her head, "Of course not. They had to go to the infirmary."

**Frank nearly choked. "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pinecone on a stick?"**

"**Something like that," Percy said. "I don't think we should count on his help this time. He wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle."**

Annabeth glared at the book in Connor's hands and muttered, "We are handling it."

Percy squeezed her hand and whispered, "Hey, it'll be fine. Let's forget about what we have to go back to okay? Just focus on right now. Nothing else matters, we're back home."

She nodded.

**Silence fell around the table. Piper could hear Coach Hedge above deck singing "Blow the Man Down," except he didn't know the lyrics, so he mostly sang, "Blah-blah-hum-de-dum-dum."**

Apollo looked offended. "I love that song."

**Piper couldn't shake the feeling that Bacchus was meant to help them. The giant twins were in Rome. They were keeping something the demigods needed—something in that bronze jar. Whatever it was, she got the feeling it held the answer to sealing the Doors of Death—the key to endless death.**

Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other and Hades narrowed his eyes.

_Could it be?_

**She also felt sure they could never defeat the giants without Bacchus's help. And if they couldn't do that in five days, Rome would be destroyed, and Hazel's brother, Nico, would die.**

"That's a very pleasant thought." Will muttered.

"Well, it's not a very pleasant quest." Annabeth answered back.

**On the other hand, if the vision of Bacchus offering her a silver goblet was false, maybe the other visions didn't have to come true either—especially the one of her, Percy, and Jason drowning. Maybe that was just symbolic.**

**The blood of a female demigod, Gaea had said, and the blood of a male. Piper, my dear, choose which hero will die with you.**

"**She wants two of us," Piper murmured.**

"That's not good. That's not good." Poseidon whispered.

**Everyone turned to look at her.**

**Piper hated being the center of attention. Maybe that was strange for a child of Aphrodite,-**

"Sort of." Aphrodite said.

**-but she'd watched her dad, the movie star, deal with fame for years. She remembered when Aphrodite had claimed her at the bonfire in front of the entire camp, zapping her with a magic beauty-queen makeover. That had been the most embarrassing moment of her life. Even here, with only six other demigods, Piper felt exposed.**

_**They're my friends**_**, she told herself.**_**It's okay.**_

**But she had a strange feeling … as if more than six sets of eyes were watching her.**

"More sets of eyes?" Hermes asked. "Do you think?"

"Are the...whatever they're called-"

"Eidolons?" Annabeth interrupted Chris, who then nodded in thanks.

"-are they there? In the ship with you?" He finished, glancing around at the campers.

"Keep reading Connor." Percy said.

"**Today on the highway," she said, "Gaea told me that she needed the blood of only two demigods—one female, one male. She—she asked me to choose which boy would die."**

**Jason squeezed her hand. "But neither of us died. You saved us."**

"**I know. It's just … Why would she want that?"**

**Leo whistled softly. "Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."**

"Does it?" A few campers asked the gods.

"Yes, I guess it does. Because your half god and half mortal, so you would be more powerful than a mortal." Zeus answered.

"Oh..."

"**Oh …" Percy set down his third pizza slice. He leaned back and stared at nothing, as if the horse kick to his head had just now registered.**

"He's not that slow. He's just a little oblivious." Annabeth said.

"I realized something." Percy argued.

"Yeah, I know."

"**Percy?" Annabeth gripped his arm.**

"**Oh, bad," he muttered. "Bad. Bad." He looked across the table at Frank and Hazel. "You guys remember Polybotes?"**

"**The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter," Hazel said. "The anti-Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think I remember."**

"**I had a dream," Percy said, "when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, and he said—he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother!'"**

Everyone fell silent and glanced at each other.

Thalia put her arm around Percy for a few seconds and said, "Did that really happen?"

"Yeah. But she doesn't just want me. She wants a girl demigods to, Thals."

"What does that mean?" She asked, her electric blue eyes filled with nervousness.

He didn't answer and nodded to Connor to continue reading.

**Piper wondered if the room's temperature controls were broken, because suddenly she couldn't stop shaking. It was the same way she'd felt on the highway outside Topeka. "You think the giants would use our blood … the blood of two of us—"**

"**I don't know," Percy said. "But until we figure it out, I suggest we all try to avoid getting captured."**

"Yeah, we always try and not get captured, and we get captured." Travis muttered.

**Jason grunted. "That I agree with."**

"**But how do we figure it out?" Hazel asked. "The Mark of Athena, the twins, Ella's prophecy … how does it all fit together?"**

**Annabeth pressed her hands against the edge of the table. "Piper, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta."**

"**Right," Piper said. "Bacchus told us we should seek out … what was his name?"**

"Annabeth'll know it." Thalia said, smiling faintly at her best friend, who bit her lip to stop her from laughing.

"**Phorcys," Percy said.**

Jaws dropped and Thalia said, "_You _remembered something before Annabeth? Was it the kick in the head?"

Percy rolled his eyes, "Ha, ha. Very funny, No."

**Annabeth looked surprised, like she wasn't used to her boyfriend having the answers.**

"Okay, fine. It's a very rare moment that I know something without Annabeth telling me." Percy said.

"At least you admit it." Annabeth smirked.

"**You know him?"**

**Percy shrugged. "I didn't recognize the name at first. Then Bacchus mentioned salt water, and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea god from before my dad's time. Never met him, but supposedly he's a son of Gaea. I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."**

**Leo snorted. "What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird.-**

"No kidding." The Hunters and campers said.

"Hey!" The gods protested and the campers smiled sheepishly at their parents.

**-****Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something else goes wrong."**

"Way to jinx it, Leo."

"**Don't even say that," Annabeth muttered.**

"You tell him Annabeth." Katie said.

**"It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."**

"**Wait," Piper said.**

**Once more, everyone looked at her.**

**She was rapidly losing her courage, wondering if her instincts were wrong, but she forced herself to speak.**

"**There's one last thing," she said. "The eidolons—the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room."**

"Fantastic. Who wants to read next?" Connor said, raising the book up.

Artemis raised her hand and Connor handed her to book.

She opened the book and said, "Okay. **Piper XII.**"


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey. You guys actually liked the last chapter? You're all crazier than I thought. Don't worry, being crazy is a good thing in my book! In, some... dysfunctional kind of way. Okay, I promised I would update today, and I will. And I'm watching Supernatural at the same time, watching my my ****_babies _****Dean and Cas be amazing and...ugh! I wish they would just get together, because they would be so cute, Destiel. Okay, I'm going to start writing now before I go on a rant about...whatever I'm ranting about right now! Enjoy my lovelies!**

**I do not own Percy Jackson, Rick does. **

Artemis opened the book to the right page and began, "**Piper XII**."

**Piper couldn't explain how she knew.**

"Again, she a really smart kid." Apollo said and Artemis nodded in agreement.

"She really is, one of the smartest in the Aphrodite Cabin." Travis said.

The Aphrodite cabin all glared angrily at him as well as Aphrodite.

"Didn't you learn from the _golden mango_ incident?" Annabeth muttered. **(Or is it apple?)**

**Stories of phantoms and tortured souls had always freaked her out.**

"Me too." Most campers said, while Hades smiled slyly, "Tortured souls, my favorite."

**Her dad used to joke about Grandpa Tom's Cherokee legends from back on the rez, but even at home in their big Malibu mansion, looking out over the Pacific, whenever her dad recounted the ghost stories for her, she could never get them out of her head.**

**Cherokee spirits were always restless.**

"A lot like most spirits. They don't understand why they died." Hades stated, his dark eyes glinting.

"Well, most of them don't feel like it's they're time to die. They feel like they still have something to complete. Something they need to finish." Malcolm said.

**They often lost their way to the Land of the Dead, or stayed behind with the living out of sheer stubbornness. Sometimes they didn't even realize they were dead.**

**"Well, that sucks." Lou said, "You would try and talk to someone you love. . . and they couldn't respond."**

Clarisse winced, her hand grip tightening on Chris's and he felt the tips of her nails piercing his palm.

"Hey, it's okay, Clar." He muttered in her ear.

**The more Piper learned about being a demigod, the more convinced she was that Cherokee legends and Greek myths weren't so different. These eidolons acted a lot like the spirits in her dad's stories.**

**Piper had a gut sense they were still present, simply because no one had told them to go away.**

"Just gotta put some charm into your words, huh Con?" Travis said, nudging his brother.

Connor broke into a grin, "Yeah, just a little _persuasion _and they'll jump over board."

**When she was done explaining, the others looked at her uncomfortably. Up on deck, Hedge sang something that sounded like "In the Navy" while Blackjack stomped his hooves, whinnying in protest.**

"Aw, poor Blackjack." Thalia said and Percy nodded.

"I know, he sounded so annoyed."

"Classic song. Good choice Hedge." Ares nodded in approval.

**Finally Hazel exhaled. "Piper is right."**

"**How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.**

"**I've met eidolons," Hazel said. "In the Underworld, when I was … you know."**

"Dead?" Malcolm asked.

"Yes. No shut it, so Lady Artemis can read and stop asking rude questions. I would kick your butt for saying that if Hazel were here." Thalia snapped.

**Piper had forgotten that Hazel was a second-timer. In her own way, Hazel too was a ghost reborn.**

"**So …" Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz-cut hair as if some ghosts might have invaded his scalp. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"**

"Possessing them?" Chiron asked.

Hades shrugged, "Most likely they are."

"I wish they were just lurking on the ship..." Chris whispered.

"**Possibly lurking inside some of us," Piper said. "We don't know."**

"Don't you think they would?" Pollux asked Chiron, who shook his head.

"I don't think they would know, Pollux."

**Jason clenched his fist. "If that's true—"**

"**We have to take steps," Piper said. "I think I can do this."**

"**Do what?" Percy asked.**

"**Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. "Everybody listen."**

"You can do this Piper!"

"Who's being controlled?" Someone asked.

"Well...obviously not Piper. Because that would suck." Will said.

**Piper met their eyes, one person at a time.**

"**Eidolons," she said, using her charmspeak, "raise your hands."**

"Do you really think that'll work?" Thalia asked.

Artemis answered her, "It depends on the strength of the spirit and the strength of Piper's charmspeaking abilities, and from what we know, they are quite strong." **(As you've noticed, I am making this crap up. ;)) **

**There was tense silence.**

**Leo laughed nervously. "Did you really think that was going to—?"**

**His voice died. His face went slack. He raised his hand.**

"Fantastic." Connor groaned.

**Jason and Percy did the same.**

"How are they going to become unpossessed?" Hermes asked.

"We could get Coach Hedge to ninja-kick their heads?" Thalia suggested, smirking at the son of the sea god, who rolled his eyes.

"Ha, Ha."

**Their eyes had turned glassy and gold. Hazel caught her breath. Next to Leo, Frank scrambled out of his chair and put his back against the wall.**

"**Oh, gods." Annabeth looked at Piper imploringly. "Can you cure them?"**

"Can she?" A son of Hermes asked.

Hades thought for a moment and answered, "Well...no. She cannot _cure _them, but she could expel the spirits from their bodies."

"And they do that how?"

**Piper wanted to whimper and hide under the table, but she had to help Jason. She couldn't believe she'd held hands with … No, she refused to think about it.**

"It's okay, Piper." Thalia said, smiling. "My best friend holds hands with _that." _

She looked at Percy, who rolled his eyes.

"He was still technically Jason...I think." Hades said.

**She focused on Leo because he was the least intimidating.**

A few Hunters and campers snorted.

"I would to."

"**Are there more of you on this ship?" she asked.**

"**No," Leo said in a hollow voice. "The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. We will live again."**

"**Not here, you won't," Piper growled. "All three of you, listen carefully."**

**Jason and Percy turned toward her. Those gold eyes were unnerving, but seeing all three boys like that fueled Piper's anger.**

"It would fuel anyone with anger." Chris said.

"**You will leave those bodies," she commanded.**

_"**No,"**_** Percy said.**

"Not a time to argue Percy, darling." Connor scolded, his lips twitching into a smirk.

"It's not the time to be talking like that, Connor." Hermes said.

"Sorry, dad."

**Leo let out a soft hiss. _"We must live."_**

"That was extremely creepy." Annabeth muttered to Percy, who shrugged.

"I don't really know what happened, so I'll take your word for it."

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

**Frank fumbled for his bow. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"**

"Woah!" Several Ares campers cheered. "You tell those spiders Ron!" **(Yes, I just made that joke.)**

Hestia's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, "Who is this _Ron?_"

They all glanced at each other and Mark said, "Wait...did we just quote _Harry Potter?_"

"They meant to say: _Tell those spirits Frank!_"

**Leo turned toward him. _"You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment."_**

A lot of the campers looked confused. "What does he mean?"

Hera was the one that answered, "Frank's life _literally_ depends on a stick. If it burns, his life is over. An amazing gift, is never free."

A few campers and Hunters muttered about how that _must _sucks.

"He's a strong kid though. Just like his mother." Ares nodded, and to his surprise, Percy nodded in agreement and added, "The strongest."

**Piper wasn't sure what that meant, but Frank staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking. "I—I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—"**

"Would he really shot him?" Apollo asked.

"No, I don't think so. He would probably just try and get Leo to think he was going to." Artemis answered him.

"**Frank, don't." Hazel rose.**

**Next to her, Jason drew his sword.**

"Hazel should control it. So you know, he doesn't kill anyone accidentally?" Aphrodite asked.

"**Stop!" Piper ordered, but her voice quavered. She was rapidly losing faith in her plan. She'd made the eidolons appear, but what now? If she couldn't persuade them to leave, any bloodshed would be her fault. In the back of her mind, she could almost hear Gaea laughing.**

"Shut up Gaea!"

"**Listen to Piper." Hazel pointed at Jason's sword. The gold blade seemed to grow heavy in his hand. It clunked to the table and Jason sank back into his chair.**

"Yeah! You tell him Hazel!" Austin grinned.

"You gotta admit, that's really cool."

**Percy growled in a very un-Percy-like way_. "Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead."_**

**Annabeth reached toward him as if to restrain him,-**

"She's usually the one to do that."

**-****but Hazel waved her off.**

"**Listen, eidolons," Hazel said sternly, "you do not belong here. I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her."**

**She turned toward Piper, her expression clear:**_**Try again. You can do this.**_

**Piper mustered all her courage. She looked straight at Jason—straight into the eyes of the thing that was controlling him. "You will leave those bodies," Piper repeated, even more forcefully.**

**Jason's face tightened. His forehead beaded with sweat.**

Apollo smiled, "You got them, sweetheart."

**"We—we will leave these bodies."**

"Wow. She must be laying it on thick." Lacy noted.

"**You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," Piper continued, "and never to possess any member of this crew."**

Annabeth sighed, "You would think she was a daughter of Athena."

"No kidding." Thalia muttered.

**Leo and Percy both hissed in protest.**

"**You will promise on the River Styx," Piper insisted.**

"This better work." Most of the campers grumbled.

**A moment of tension—she could feel their wills fighting against hers. Then all three eidolons spoke in unison: _"We promise on the River Styx."_**

"Yeah! Good job Piper!" Connor smiled and several Aphrodite campers hi-fived.

"That's our Cabin Leader right there!"

"**You are dead," Piper said.**

"**We are dead," they agreed.**

"**Now, leave."**

"What if they want to stay for cookies and tea?" Aphrodite asked.

Annabeth groaned, "Please don't say anything about tea and cookies."

Thalia gave her a confused look, but she waved it off.

"You'll all learn about it later."

**All three boys slumped forward. Percy fell face-first into his pizza.**

"Aww, poor pizza. No one wants a face full of Percy. Except maybe Annabeth." Connor smirked and Percy groaned.

"Just keep reading, please."

"**Percy!" Annabeth grabbed him.**

**Piper and Hazel caught Jason's arms as he slipped out of his chair.**

**Leo wasn't so lucky. He fell toward Frank, who made no attempt to intercept him. Leo hit the floor.**

"Poor Leo."

"Poor Hazel to have to deal with that crap." Thalia muttered.

"**Ow!" he groaned.**

"Really? I thought Leo made the floor out of marshmallows?"

"**Are you all right?" Hazel asked.**

**Leo pulled himself up. He had a piece of spaghetti in the shape of a 3 stuck to his forehead. "Did it work?"**

"**It worked," Piper said, feeling pretty sure she was right. "I don't think they'll be back."**

**Jason blinked. "Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?"**

"Sadly, probably not." Zeus said.

**Piper laughed, exhaling all her nervousness. "Come on, Lightning Boy. Let's get you some fresh air."**

"Lightning Boy?" Thalia asked, her lips twitching with amusement.

"Well, it's better than Pinecone Face." Percy smirked and she turned and smacked his head with a pillow.

"At least it's not Seaweed Brain." She taunted.

"Hey." Annabeth protested, but her eyes were sparkling with amusement, "It took me a while to come up with that. I finally got it once he said something oblivious."

"Hey." He warned. "Both of you, shut up so we can get through this camper...I mean chapter."

**Piper and Jason walked back and forth along the deck. Jason was still wobbly, so Piper encouraged him to wrap his arm around her for support.**

**Leo stood at the helm, conferring with Festus through the intercom; he knew from experience to give Jason and Piper some space. Since the satellite TV was up again, Coach Hedge was in his cabin happily catching up on his mixed martial arts cage matches. Percy's pegasus Blackjack had flown off somewhere. The other demigods were settling in for the night.**

**The Argo II raced east, cruising several hundred feet above the ground. Below them small towns passed by like lit-up islands in a dark sea of prairie.**

Katie let out a small laugh, "I've always loved the way that looked. Seeing the cities below you, it makes you feel free. And bigger than you are."

Travis smiled softly at her, "It makes everyone feel like that, Kat."

Aphrodite broke into a small smiled. _I knew it._

**Piper remembered last winter, flying Festus the dragon over the city of Quebec. She had never seen anything so beautiful, or felt so happy to have Jason's arms around her—but this was even better.**

**The night was warm. The ship sailed along more smoothly than a dragon. Best of all, they were flying away from Camp Jupiter as fast as they possibly could. No matter how dangerous the ancient lands were, Piper couldn't wait to get there. She hoped Jason was right that the Romans wouldn't follow them across the Atlantic.**

"Please?" Lou asked.

**Jason stopped amidships and leaned against the rail. The moonlight turned his blond hair silver.**

"Most blondes hair turns silver in the moonlight. Like Annabeth's does to." Percy pointed out.

"**Thanks, Pipes," he said. "You saved me again."**

Annabeth laughed, "It's what we do Piper. Girlfriend's save their boyfriend's butts all of the time."

"You think your boyfriend has a nice butt?" Will asked.

Percy turned to Annabeth to smile but when Will said that, he frowned and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Huh?"

**He put his arm around her waist. She thought about the day they'd fallen into the Grand Canyon—the first time she'd learned that Jason could control the air. He'd held her so tightly, she could feel his heartbeat. Then they'd stopped falling and floated in midair. **

**Best. Boyfriend. Ever.**

**She wanted to kiss him now, but something held her back.**

"**I don't know if Percy will trust me anymore," she said. "Not after I let his horse knock him out."**

"Come on Piper. He needs to be knocked in the head once in a while." Thalia smiled and knocked her knuckles lightly against the back of his head.

**Jason laughed. "Don't worry about that. Percy's a nice guy, but I get the feeling he needs a knock on the head every once in a while."**

"Yep." Annabeth said.

"And it's usually by a book because Annabeth's trying to teach him something."

"**You could have killed him."**

**Jason's smile faded. "That wasn't me."**

"**But I almost let you," Piper said. "When Gaea said I had to choose, I hesitated and …"**

**She blinked, cursing herself for crying.**

"It's not stupid Piper." Thalia said softly.

"**Don't be so hard on yourself," Jason said. "You saved us both."**

"**But if two of our crew really have to die, a boy and a girl—"**

"**I don't accept that. We're going to stop Gaea. All seven of us are going to come back alive. I promise you."**

"That's not a promise you should make." Annabeth whispered.

"It's just really hard to keep." Hades agreed.

**Piper wished that he hadn't promised. The word only reminded her of the Prophecy of Seven: an oath to keep with a final breath.**

"Don't think about it." Annabeth said, as a few campers looked at each other and whispers rang through the groups on the ground.

"It won't do any good trying to figure out the prophecy."

**Please, she thought, wondering if her mom, the goddess of love, could hear her. Don't let it be Jason's final breath. If love means anything, don't take him away.**

**"I'll try my best Piper, but sometimes, even love has its limits." Aphrodite said. **

**As soon as she had made the wish, she felt guilty. How could she stand to see Annabeth in that kind of pain if Percy died?**

Annabeth stared at the book for a moment and muttered, "Probably not."

Percy took in a deep breath and nodded to Artemis to continue.

**_We don't know. Something might happen in Tarturas once we get back._**

**How could she live with herself if any of the seven demigods died? Already, each of them had endured so much. Even the two new Roman kids, Hazel and Frank, whom Piper barely knew, felt like kin. At Camp Jupiter, Percy had recounted their trip to Alaska, which sounded as harrowing as anything Piper had experienced. And from the way Hazel and Frank tried to help during the exorcism, she could tell they were brave, good people.**

"**The legend that Annabeth mentioned," she said, "about the Mark of Athena … why didn't you want to talk about it?"**

"Because he knew something, he didn't want to mention."

"That's never a good sign." Thalia said, glancing worriedly at Annabeth.

**She was afraid Jason might shut her out, but he just lowered his head like he'd been expecting the question. "Pipes, I don't know what's true and what's not. That legend … it could be really dangerous."**

"Very." Annabeth said.

"Dangerous how?" Malcolm asked, as the rest of the campers looked worried.

"Dangerous enough." Athena answered for her daughter, noticing her nervous hesitation.

"**For who?"**

"**All of us," he said grimly. "The story goes that the Romans stole something important from the Greeks, back in ancient times, when the Romans conquered the Greeks' cities."**

"Fun." Travis said.

"Uh-huh. Seems so much fun."

**Piper waited, but Jason seemed lost in thought.**

"**What did they steal?" she asked.**

"Something important." Zeus said, glancing at Athena, who scowled.

"Was it related to Athena in some way?" A Hunter asked.

"Yes."

"**I don't know," he said. "I'm not sure anyone in the legion has ever known. But according to the story, this thing was taken away to Rome and hidden there. The children of Athena, Greek demigods, have hated us ever since. They've always stirred up their brethren against the Romans. Like I said, I don't know how much of that is true-"**

"Most of it." Athena answered.

"**But why not just tell Annabeth?" Piper asked. "She's not going to suddenly hate you."**

**He seemed to have trouble focusing on her. "I hope not. But the legend says that the children of Athena have been searching for this thing for millennia. Every generation, a few are chosen by the goddess to find it. Apparently, they're led to Rome by some sign … the Mark of Athena."**

"**If Annabeth is one of those searchers … we should help her."**

"What do you mean, maybe?" Malcolm said, narrowing his eyes.

"She has to do it alone." Grover said.

**Jason hesitated. "Maybe. When we get closer to Rome, I'll tell her what little I know. Honest. But the story, at least the way I heard it—it claims that if the Greeks ever found what was stolen, they'd never forgive us. They'd destroy the legion and Rome, once and for all. After what Nemesis told Leo, about Rome's being destroyed five days from now …"**

**Piper studied Jason's face. He was, without a doubt, the bravest person she'd ever known, but she realized he was afraid. This legend—the idea that it might tear apart their group and level a city—absolutely terrified him.**

"It could terrify anyone."

**Piper wondered what could have been stolen from the Greeks that would be so important. She couldn't imagine anything that would make Annabeth suddenly turn vengeful.**

**Then again, Piper couldn't imagine choosing one demigod's life over another, and today on that deserted road, just for a moment, Gaea had almost tempted her .…**

"**I'm sorry, by the way," Jason said.**

**Piper wiped the last tear from her face. "Sorry for what? It was the eidolon who attacked—"**

"**Not about that." The little scar on Jason's upper lip seemed to glow white in the moonlight. She'd always loved that scar. The imperfection made his face much more interesting.**

"She's going all daughter of Aphrodite." Connor rolled her eyes.

"**I was stupid to ask you to contact Reyna," he said. "I wasn't thinking."**

"**Oh." Piper looked up at the clouds and wondered if her mother, Aphrodite, was somehow influencing him. His apology seemed too good to be true.**

**But don't stop, she thought. "Really, it's okay."**

"**It's just … I never felt that way toward Reyna," Jason said, "so I didn't think about its making you uncomfortable. You've got nothing to worry about, Pipes."**

"**I wanted to hate her," Piper admitted. "I was so afraid you'd go back to Camp Jupiter."**

**Jason looked surprised. "That would never happen. Not unless you came with me. I promise."**

Percy glanced at Annabeth and she let out a tired sigh.

**Piper held his hand. She managed a smile, but she was thinking: Another promise. An oath to keep with a final breath.**

"Can you stop saying that?" Thalia whispered.

"I know. That line makes me nervous." Chiron said.

**She tried to put those thoughts out of her mind. She knew she should just enjoy this quiet moment with Jason. But as she looked over the side of the ship, she couldn't help remembering how much the prairie at night looked like dark water—like the drowning room she'd seen in the blade of her knife.**

"Nice reminder." Thalia said and winced.

"Hey, let's just try not to jump to conclusions. Who want to read next?" Annabeth said.

Aphrodite raised her hand and the moon goddess handed her the book.

She opened it and began, "**Percy XIII**."

Percy's jaw dropped and he muttered, "Crap." Aphrodite smiled and looked at Percy knowingly, like she knew what he was thinking.

Annabeth glanced at Percy and whispered in his ear, "Is this the chapter..."

"Yes." He answered and she closed her eyes and said, "My mom might kill you."

"Well, it's something to look forward to. Let's just get this over with." He grumbled.

**Yes! APHRODITE IS READING THE STABLE SCENE AS I PROMISED! AHHH! I'm updating next week, maybe on Thursday. **

**Hope you liked this chapter and review and have an awesome Mother's Day! Make them breakfast! **

**Love, **

**BlackConverse3**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey! Sorry, I couldn't update, I have two projects to do and Finals to study for. And I want some Taco Bell...**

**I need 50 million reviews before I update again! I'm just kidding, my story sucks. XD That's funny in my opinion because I'm watching SuperNatural with vampires in it! Right? No...okay. Here's my story, warning, will make you cry. Because I'm ****_so funny. _****Now, I'm definitely sure you can sense my sarcasm. It's just ****_oozing_**** out of your computer/Ipad/whatever the ****_hell_**** you use to read fanfiction screen. :D Enjoy my lovelies!**

**Oh, and by the way, to the people that PM me about copying other people's stories...or something like that, I honestly don't remember, I sit on the floor in my living room with my Mark of Athena book open, copy down the whole chapter in black pen, and then I transfer it to the computer, where I write in the dialogue and anything that comes to mind that comes in between the actual book. That's one of the reasons it takes me so long to update. So, if you say I'm copying someone else's story, I don't even know what's happening because I barley read other Reading the Mark of Athena stories because I like making up my own crap. So, don't accuse me of copying other writers work. Enjoy my lovelies, Again! **

**Everything in bold goes to Rick. **

Aphrodite opened the book and began, "**Percy XIII**."

"Perfect, we get to hear what's in that empty head of yours." Thalia teased, ruffling his hair playfully.

Annabeth smiled and said, "No Thalia. It's not empty, there's seaweed in there."

**Forget the chicken-nugget smoke screen.**

"Nah, I still think it's pretty cool." Travis smiled.

**Percy wanted Leo to invent an anti-dream hat.**

"Okay, never mind. That's pretty cool." Connor said.

"Don't we all wish we had one." Nyssa muttered and a large majority of the campers nodded in agreement.

**That night he had horrible nightmares. First he dreamed he was back in Alaska on the quest for the legion's eagle. He was hiking along a mountain road, but as soon as he stepped off the shoulder he was swallowed by the bog—muskeg, Hazel had called it. He found himself choking in mud, unable to move or see or breathe.**

"Well, that's pleasant." Poseidon muttered.

"No kidding. I almost drowned in the mud just yesterday, when Katie go mad at me for trampling her gardenings."

The daughter of Demeter glared at him, "They're called _gardenias_ Travis. And you deserved it."

**For the first time in his life, he understood what it was like to drown.**

Percy sunk lower into the couch and a few campers sent him sympathetic glances.

"Well...that sucks." Chris said.

"It's like being a mortal and then waking up as a Cyclopes." Will said.

"That made absolutely no sense what so ever." Harley said, looking at the son of Apollo weirdly.

"It kind of did." He argued weakly, glancing at Nyssa for support, who just rolled her eyes.

_**It's just a dream**_**, he told himself.**_**I'll wake up.**_

"It doesn't make it any less terrifying." Annabeth muttered, glancing at Percy, who was glaring out the window.

**But that didn't make it any less terrifying.**

"Aww." Aphrodite hugged the book to her chest, "You two think alike."

A few campers snorted with laughter.

"You just noticed that now?" Apollo asked.

**Percy had never been scared of water.**

Poseidon looked at his son for a moment and then put the puzzle together, "You afraid of-"

"Continue Aphrodite." Chiron cut off the sea god.

The goddess of love looked confused but did as she was asked.

**It was his father's element.**

"And here I was thinking that being the son of Poseidon makes you terrified to go in water." Travis quirked.

Clarisse, _surprisingly_, would have loved to make fun of Percy but she looked over and noticed his expression.

It was almost guilty, _angry_ even, his sea-green eyes were narrowed and he kept his gaze on the window.

So she turned and punched Travis in the chest, knocking him back into Connor, who yelped in surprise.

"Hey!"

**But since the muskeg experience, he'd developed a fear of suffocation.**

A lot of campers looked surprised and Annabeth asked, "But-you didn't tell me?"

Percy released a sigh through his nose and said, "It's not something you tell everyone, Annabeth."

**He could never admit this to anyone, but it had even made him nervous about going in the water.**

"Are you serious?" Clarisse asked.

"Can you just continue, Aphrodite?" Annabeth asked.

**He knew that was silly. He couldn't drown. But he also suspected that if he didn't control the fear, it might start controlling him.**

"Good advice." Artemis said, knowing about Thalia and heights.

**He thought about his friend Thalia, who-**

Percy shoved his hand out and Aphrodite squealed in surprise when the book was blasted from her hand by a jet of water and it landed in Percy's hands.

He smiled at her apologetically, and said, "Do you mind if I read this sentence, Lady Aphrodite?"

She nodded and said, "Go ahead, Percy."

He opened the book and continued.

**-was scared of_ walruses_ even though she was the daughter of the sky god. **

**(A/N: I made that up. Or you can believe that's the actual line, whatever you want my friends. :) )**

Campers busted out laughing and a few Hunter chuckled at the sentence.

"Really? You afraid of walruses?" Hermes asked, his face turning red from laughter.

Thalia nodded and then smiled at Percy and mouthed _Thank you._

He smiled in response and tossed the book back to Aphrodite, who continued.

A few gods looked confused but then all fell silent as the love goddess continued.

**Her brother, Jason, could fly by summoning the winds. Thalia couldn't, maybe because she was too afraid to try. If Percy started to believe he could drown …**

Thalia shivered, "That would be _very, very bad._"

Percy muttered, "No kidding."

**The muskeg pressed against his chest. His lungs wanted to burst.**

_**Stop panicking**_**, he told himself.**_**This isn't real.**_

"Just because you say that, it doesn't help make it any less scary." Annabeth said, grabbing his hand.

Percy shrugged, "Kinda worked...sort of."

**Just when he couldn't hold his breath any longer, the dream changed.**

"Thank gods." Campers said, while Percy said, "I'd rather have the other dream."

Annabeth nodded and said, "He told me about it, I think the other dream is better."

Rachael looked at Percy and guessed, "One of your prophetic dreams again?"

"Sorta."

Several campers groaned, most of them were familiar with Percy's dreams.

**He stood in a vast gloomy space like an underground parking garage. Rows of stone pillars marched off in every direction, holding up the ceiling about twenty feet above. Freestanding braziers cast a dim red glow over the floor.**

"That's never good..."

**Percy couldn't see very far in the shadows, but hanging from the ceiling were pulley systems, sandbags, and rows of dark theater lights. Piled around the chamber, wooden crates were labeled PROPS, WEAPONS, and COSTUMES.**

Travis gasped and put his hand over his heart, "Gods Percy. Run! You're in a Opera House!"

Chiron scolded, "Travis, it is not the time to talk like that. And the Opera House is magnificent."

Percy bit his lip so he didn't burst out laughing and he nodded in agreement, "Yeah, Travis. Shut up."

**One read: ASSORTED ROCKET LAUNCHERS.**

Then Travis smiled and said, "I take back what I saw, stay in the Opera House. They have Rocket Launchers."

**Percy heard machinery creaking in the darkness, huge gears turning, and water rushing through pipes.**

**Then he saw the giant … or at least Percy guessed that he was a giant.**

"Guessing?" Harley asked. "Wouldn't he be...you know? Big?"

"Well, he's small for a giant." Percy answered.

"Why would you be small if you're a giant?" Katie asked.

"LET'S GO GIANTS!" Ares bellowed.

Everyone in the room, including the gods all looked at him.

"Wait...I mean the baseball team...not Gaea and the actual giants...I'm going to shut up now." He sunk into his throne.

**He was about twelve feet tall—a respectable height for a Cyclops, but only half as tall as other giants Percy had dealt with.**

"So he was tiny then?" Thalia said, smirking.

"Yeah."

**He also looked more human than a typical giant, without the dragonlike legs of his larger kin. Nevertheless, his long purple hair was braided in a ponytail of dreadlocks, woven with gold and silver coins, which struck Percy as a giantish hairstyle.**

A few gods and campers snorted with laughter.

"That was horrible." Chris said and Percy shrugged. "Well, he is a giant."

**He had a ten-foot spear strapped to his back—a giantish weapon. He wore the largest black turtleneck Percy had ever seen, black pants, and black leather shoes with points so long and curly, they might have been jester slippers. He paced back and forth in front of a raised platform, examining a bronze jar about the size of Percy.**

"What's in it? Oh, I bet it's giant peaches! I've always loved peaches." Lou said, jokingly.

"**No, no, no," the giant muttered to himself. "Where's the splash? Where's the value?" He yelled into the darkness, "Otis!"**

**Percy heard something shuffling in the distance. Another giant appeared out of the gloom. He wore exactly the same black outfit, right down to the curly shoes. The only difference between the two giants was that the second one's hair was green rather than purple. **

"WOW!" Travis and Connor yelled.

"It's just like us!" They both grinned and Connor put his arm around his brother and said, "I love you, Bro Montana."

"I love you to Cap-"

"Continue Aphrodite." Clarisse said, rolling her eyes at the brothers.

"Please don't continue." Percy muttered.

**The first giant cursed. "Otis, why do you do this to me every day? I told you I was wearing the black turtleneck today. You could wear anything but the black turtleneck!"**

"Gods, those two are worse than the Stolls." Chris muttered.

"You should hear them in the morning arguing. It gives the whole cabin a massive headache." He continued and glared as his brothers grinned.

"You know you love us Chirssy-Poo."

**Otis blinked as if he'd just woken up. "I thought you were wearing the yellow toga today."**

Aphrodite winced along with the rest of the Aphrodite cabin.

"_Yellow Toga?_ Ugh, they are so last century. And Toga's should be white...not _yellow._"

"**That was yesterday! When you showed up in the yellow toga!"**

"**Oh. Right. Sorry, Ephie."**

"Oh, that name is perfect, especially for a _twelve foot tall giant_. It's cute." Lacy said, smiling at her mother, who smiled and winked.

**His brother snarled. They had to be twins, because their faces were identically ugly.**

Thalia and Grover hi-fived Percy and Thalia smiled, "Like Connor and Travis's faces."

"Hey!" The brother protested.

"**And don't call me Ephie," Ephie demanded. ****"Call me Ephialtes. That's my name. Or you can use my stage name: The BIG F!"**

"The Big F? We should call you the Big Z." Poseidon told Zeus, who rolled his eyes and said, "Shut up. We're already called the Big Three."

"Good point." Poseidon said, stroking his beard softly.

**Otis grimaced. "I'm still not sure about that stage name."**

"**Nonsense! It's perfect. Now, how are the preparations coming along?"**

"**Fine." Otis didn't sound very enthusiastic. "The man-eating tigers, the spinning blades … But I still think a few ballerinas would be nice."**

"Oh yes. We definitely need some ballerinas next to the man-eating tigers and then spinning blades. Because ballerinas are so terrifying."

"**No ballerinas!" Ephialtes snapped. "And this thing." He waved at the bronze jar in disgust. "What does it do? It's not exciting."**

Thalia rolled her eyes and muttered, "You're not exciting."

"**But that's the whole point of the show. He dies unless the others rescue him. And if they arrive on schedule—"**

"Who dies?" Thalia demanded.

"Nico." Annabeth answered.

"But he was here just a few chapters ago, he looked okay...well...sorta."

"**Oh, they'd better!" Ephialtes said. "July First, the Kalends of July, sacred to Juno. That's when Mother wants to destroy those stupid demigods and really rub it in Juno's face.-**

Hera growled, "They will succeed." She glanced at Percy and Annabeth and continued, "Most of them are too stubborn not to."

"Demigods are not stupid!" The campers yelled.

"Could of fooled me." Ares muttered under his breath.

"Be nice." Aphrodite scolded, after smacking him on the back of the head with her hairbrush.

**-Besides, I'm not paying overtime for those gladiator ghosts!"**

"Oh, now I want those at my birthday party." Connor grinned.

"**Well, then, they all die," Otis said, "and we start the destruction of Rome. Just like Mother wants. It'll be perfect. The crowd will love it. Roman ghosts adore this sort of thing."**

Hestia snorted and said, "Yes, but not of their own city."

**Ephialtes looked unconvinced. "But the jar just stands there. Couldn't we suspend it above a fire, or dissolve it in a pool of acid or something?"**

"NO!" Everyone yelled.

"Can't he just shadow travel out of that jar?" Thalia asked.

Percy shook his head sadly, "No."

"**We need him alive for a few more days," Otis reminded his brother. "Otherwise, the seven won't take the bait and rush to save him."**

"That works. One time, I was fishing with a dead worm when I was younger and I caught no fish because the worm was dead." Will said.

Thalia glared at the son of Apollo, "Not helping Will."

"Sorry, Lieutenant Thalia."

"Shut up."

"**Hmm. I suppose. I'd still like a little more screaming.-**

"I'm going to make you scream." Percy and Thalia snapped at the same time.

"Woah. That's crazy." Travis whispered.

**-This slow death is boring. Ah, well, what about our talented friend? Is she ready to receive her visitor?"**

The room temperature seemed to drop and the gods sent each other looks.

"Talented friend?" Katie asked.

Annabeth shivered slightly and Percy put his arm around her and pulled her towards him.

"Relax." He whispered and she gripped his left knee tightly.

**Otis made a sour face. "I really don't like talking to her. She makes me nervous."**

"Who makes him nervous? That's not a good thing."

Apollo nodded in agreement and said, "Anything that makes a giant nervous isn't good."

Artemis glared at her brother and said, "Not helping Apollo." She gestured to the campers and Hunters, who were all staring at the gods, their eyes wide.

"Oh...sorry? Keep reading." Apollo said.

"**But is she ready?"**

"**Yes," Otis said reluctantly. "She's been ready for centuries. No one will be removing that statue."**

Annabeth's grew a slight smug look on her face and Percy shook his head.

"Your pride is showing."

She swatted his arm, "Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

"**Excellent." Ephialtes rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "This is our big chance, my brother."**

"No, the Seven will kick your butts back to Tarturas!" Clarisse snarled.

"**That's what you said about our last stunt," Otis mumbled. "I was hanging in that block of ice suspended over the River Lethe for six months, and we didn't even get any media attention."**

"What'd you do? See how many hits Narcissus's videos got and got jealous?"

"**This is different!" Ephialtes insisted. "We will set a new standard for entertainment! If Mother is pleased, we can write our own ticket to fame and fortune!"**

"**If you say so," Otis sighed. "Though I still think those ballerina costumes from Swan Lake would look lovely—"**

Percy groaned. "I hate that play."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Percy, that play was amazing. You fell asleep through half of it."

Travis and Connor snickered when Percy muttered, "Because it was boring."

**(A/N: No offense to anyone who likes it. I actually do like it...you know, for a play with 43 kids around you who won't shut up and stop talking. )**

"**No ballet!"**

"**Sorry."**

"**Come," Ephialtes said. "Let's examine the tigers. I want to be sure they are hungry!"**

"Yes, let go outside and check if the monsters are hungry."

**The giants lumbered off into the gloom, and Percy turned toward the jar.**

"Gods, Nico. What did you get yourself into this time." Hades muttered, fiddling with the skull ring on his finger.

**I need to see inside, he thought.**

"Please do." Harley said while Hades said, "Please don't."

_He didn't want to see what has happened to his son. _

**He willed his dream forward, right to the surface of the jar. Then he passed through.**

**The air in the jar smelled of stale breath and tarnished metal. The only light came from the dim purple glow of a dark sword, its Stygian iron blade set against one side of the container. Huddled next to it was a dejected-looking boy in tattered jeans, a black shirt, and an old aviator jacket. On his right hand, a silver skull ring glittered.**

A few campers caught their breath and Hades bit the inside of his cheek as he watched Aphrodite's eyebrows furrow with concern at what she was reading.

"Nico." Percy muttered.

"**Nico," Percy called. But the son of Hades couldn't hear him.**

"Why can't he hear you?" Artemis asked.

Hades thought for a moment and then groaned, "He didn't."

**The container was completely sealed. The air was turning poisonous. Nico's eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. He appeared to be meditating.**

"He did." Hades moaned and Thalia smacked Percy on the arm, "What's Hades freaking out about?"

"The book will tell you later." He answered.

Her electric blue eyes bored into his sea-green ones and she asked quietly, "Is he going to be okay?"

Percy gazed back at her and whispered, "Honestly Thalia, I don't know if he will."

**His face was pale, and thinner than Percy remembered.**

"That's not good." Hestia said, feeling sad for the son of Hades.

**On the inner wall of the jar, it looked as though Nico had scratched three hash marks with his sword — maybe it had been three days that he'd been imprisoned?**

"Please?" Hades asked.

"Would he really look like that in three hours? What could happen to someone in three hours?" Katie asked.

Annabeth and Percy exchanged glances.

_Tarturas. _

**It didn't seem possible he could have survived so long without suffocating. Even in a dream, Percy was already starting to feel panicky, struggling to get enough oxygen.**

"That's not good. Is it true, that if you die in a dream, you die in real life?" Chris asked.

"I don't think so...hopefully not anyways." Percy answered.

**Then he noticed something between Nico's feet—a small collection of glistening objects no bigger than baby teeth.**

**Seeds, Percy realized. Pomegranate seeds. Three had been eaten and spit out. Five were still encased in dark red pulp.**

"Oh gods." Hades groaned. "Not the seeds."

"What are they?" Athena asked curiously.

"They're from my wife. Nico's in a death trance." He answered solemnly, and that's saying something for the Lord of the Underworld.

"Crap."

"**Nico," Percy said, "where is this place? We'll save you .…"**

"Did he hear you?" A campers asked.

Percy shook his head.

**The image faded, and a girl's voice whispered: "Percy."**

Several people raised their eyebrows and Travis asked, "A girl? Your dreaming about a girl?"

"Nope."

**At first, Percy thought he was still asleep. When he'd lost his memory, he'd spent weeks dreaming about Annabeth, the only person he remembered from his past.**

"Awww..." The campers cooed, some of them did it mockingly, and Annabeth smiled softly.

"I already knew he dreamed about you. I walked in to wake him up and he was clutching his pillow and whispering, 'Annabeth. Annabeth. I love you my darling-'"

Percy smacked Grover with a pillow and glared at him, "I never did that."

**As his eyes opened and his vision cleared, he realized she was really there.**

Will shook his head and said, "Wow. Percy's rubbing off on you Annabeth."

Thalia broke into a grin and said, "You didn't?"

Annabeth smiled and said, "I did."

**She was standing by his berth, smiling down at him.**

Chiron looked sternly at Annabeth, "Annabeth, you're not allowed in there. Hedge should have stopped you."

Annabeth looked at him, "I kind of snuck past him, Chiron."

Apollo and Hermes broke into smiles, "We're so proud of you."

**Her blond hair fell across her shoulders. Her storm-gray eyes were bright with amusement.**

"You were drooling weren't you?" Thalia asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"No." Percy said, while Annabeth suppressed her laughter behind her hand, nodding at Thalia.

**He remembered his first day at Camp Half-Blood, five years ago, when he'd woken from a daze and found Annabeth standing over him. She had said, You drool when you sleep.**

Several campers gave her hi-fives and Travis smiled.

"See, I was right about the blackmail."

Annabeth then supplied, "He also talks and makes noises in his sleep."

Percy covered her mouth with his hand and glowered at the laughing campers and Hunters.

"Shut up. And keep reading."

**She was sentimental that way.**

This time, the gods joined in and Percy yanked his hand away from Annabeth's mouth.

"Even heroes drool in their sleep." Annabeth whispered to him.

"Ha, Ha. Shut up." Percy muttered back.

"**Wh—what's going on?" he asked. "Are we there?"**

"**No," she said, her voice low. "It's the middle of the night."**

Aphrodite squealed and said, "You snuck into his cabin in the middle of the night! How romantic."

Percy snorted with laughter, "Yeah, sure. Some romantic night that was, huh?"

He turned to his girlfriend, his eyes sparkling with mischief as she blushed.

"**You mean …" Percy's heart started to race. He realized he was in his pajamas, in bed.**

"Gods, can I leave for this chapter? Please." Percy pleaded but Zeus shook his head.

"Nope." His eyes were filled with amusement at his discomfort.

**He probably had been drooling,-**

"Tough luck man." Connor said, looking at him with sympathy.

**-or at least making weird noises as he dreamed. No doubt he had a severe case of pillow hair and his breath didn't smell great.**

"You mean your everyday hair?" Annabeth asked, smirking.

"Whatever."

**"You sneaked into my cabin?"**

Jaws dropped and Thalia looked at her friend, "You didn't."

"I did." Annabeth said and Athena turned and gave Percy a warning look.

"Perseus. Don't try anything." Her grey eyes were hard and Percy swallowed and replied, "I didn't."

"Wow...Annabeth Chase just broke the rules!"

**Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Percy, you'll be seventeen in two months.-**

"Thanks for reminding me, Wise Girl." Percy grumbled and Annabeth ruffled his raven black hair, "Love you to, Seaweed."

"I feel bad for you man. It's Annabeth's and your anniversary, also you birthday and it's the day of the ending of Titan War." Chris said and Percy nodded.

"Just what someone need to remember on their birthday, huh?"

**-****You can't seriously be worried about getting into trouble with Coach Hedge."**

Katie looked at Annabeth and said, "Ugh, have you seen his baseball bat?"

Annabeth let out a chuckle of laughter as Aphrodite continued.

"**Uh, have you seen his baseball bat?"**

A few campers chuckled.

"**Besides, Seaweed Brain, I just thought we could take a walk. We haven't had any time to be together alone. I want to show you something—my favorite place aboard the ship."**

Athena raised her eyebrow, "Alone?"

Chiron said, "We should've had the same rules we do at Camp Half-Blood, on the _Argo II_."

The couple turned and yelled, "Nothing happened!"

Aphrodite's eyes were twinkling and she smirked at Percy, "But you did tell her something...something important?"

"Aphrodite, leave the boy alone and keep reading. I want to find out what happens." Apollo said.

**Percy's pulse was still in overdrive, but it wasn't from fear of getting into trouble.**

A few campers wiggled their eyebrows at Percy, who ignored them.

"I will drown all of you." He threatened.

"**Can I, you know, brush my teeth first?"**

Athena and Poseidon looked at each other for a moment and then asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"Nothing! Gods, just stop assuming stuff and keep reading."

"Kiss her?" Thalia teased.

"**You'd better," Annabeth said. "Because I'm not kissing you until you do. And brush your hair while you're at it."**

"No. I guess that's what's Annabeth is planning to do."

Annabeth bit her lip and leaned towards Percy, who was trying not to laugh.

"Gods, I just want to throw this book in the fire."

**For a trireme, the ship was huge, but it still felt cozy to Percy—like his dorm building back at Yancy Academy, or any of the other boarding schools he'd gotten kicked out of.**

"Really?" Grover asked.

Percy shrugged and said, "Yeah, I guess so. I _was_ with you anyways."

Grover smiled.

**Annabeth and he crept downstairs to the second deck, which Percy hadn't explored except for sickbay.**

"Of course."

**She led him past the engine room, which looked like a very dangerous, mechanized jungle gym, with pipes and pistons and tubes jutting from a central bronze sphere.**

Harley smiled at Nyssa, "Sounds like our kinda place."

"Well, we did help build it."

**Cables resembling giant metal noodles snaked across the floor and ran up the walls.**

"**How does that thing even work?" Percy asked.**

"**No idea," Annabeth said. "And I'm the only one besides Leo who can operate it."**

"Because that reassuring to your boyfriend." Clarisse said.

"Completely." Percy answered.

"**That's reassuring."**

"**It should be fine. It's only threatened to blow up once."**

"Because that helps with your confidence."

"**You're kidding, I hope."**

**She smiled. "Come on."**

**They worked their way past the supply rooms and the armory. Toward the stern of the ship, they reached a set of wooden double doors that opened into a large stable. The room smelled of fresh hay and wool blankets. Lining the left wall were three empty horse stalls like the ones they used for pegasi back at camp. The right wall had two empty cages big enough for large zoo animals.**

"You're going to bring back zoo animals?" Hermes asked.

"No, I honestly don't know why Leo built those." Annabeth answered.

**In the center of the floor was a twenty-foot-square see-through panel.**

**Thalia shivered and muttered, "Fun."**

**Far below, the night landscape whisked by—miles of dark countryside crisscrossed with illuminated highways like the strands of a web.**

"**A glass-bottomed boat?" Percy asked.**

**Annabeth grabbed a blanket from the nearest stable gate and spread it across part of the glass floor. "Sit with me."**

**"Yeah, because everyone wants to have a romantic evening where they could fall to their deaths." A Nike camper said sarcastically. **

"Oh, tragic love is the best." Aphrodite said, clasping her hands together.

**They relaxed on the blanket as if they were having a picnic, and watched the world go by below.**

"It was nice while it lasted."

"**Leo built the stables so pegasi could come and go easily," Annabeth said. "Only he didn't realize that pegasi prefer to roam free, so the stables are always empty."**

**Percy wondered where Blackjack was—roaming the skies somewhere, hopefully following their progress. Percy's head still throbbed from getting whopped by Blackjack's hoof, but he didn't hold that against the horse.**

"Of course you don't. You love Blackjack." Annabeth said and Percy grinned.

"He's a good horse. Most of the time."

"**What do you mean, come and go easily?" he asked. "Wouldn't a pegasus have to make it down two flights of stairs?"**

**Thalia groaned. "You didn't just say that." **

**Annabeth rapped her knuckles on the glass. "These are bay doors, like on a bomber."**

"How in the world do you have so much patience with him?" Clarisse asked, Annabeth, who laughed lightly.

"I don't know, Clarisse."

**Percy gulped. "You mean we're sitting on doors? What if they opened?"**

Chiron thought for a moment and said, "Then you would fall to your deaths I suppose?"

"**I suppose we'd fall to our deaths. But they won't open. Most likely."**

Travis snorted and said, "Yeah, because _Most likely _is so reassuring."

"Great."

**Annabeth laughed. "You know why I like it here? It's not just the view. What does this place remind you of?"**

**Percy looked around: the cages and stables, the Celestial bronze lamp hanging from the beam, the smell of hay, and of course Annabeth sitting close to him, her face ghostly and beautiful in the soft amber light.**

Grover broke into a grin and said, "The zoo truck we all took to Las Vegas."

Annabeth nodded.

"**That zoo truck," Percy decided. "The one we took to Las Vegas."**

"Nice, Percy, nice."

**Her smile told him he'd gotten the answer right.**

Slow dramatic claps sounded through the room.

"Wow, good job Percy. What, was that like the first question you've ever gotten right from Annabeth?"

"Chris!"

"**That was so long ago," Percy said. "We were in bad shape, struggling to get across the country to find that stupid lightning bolt, trapped in a truck with a bunch of mistreated animals. How can you be nostalgic for that?"**

Aphrodite giggled while Zeus muttered, "It's not a stupid lightning bolt. You're a stupid demigod, demigod."

Malcolm looked at his sister with an eyebrow raised, "Really? Your nostalgic for that?"

The daughter of Athena shrugged and said, "Well...yes. It's the first time we really talked without having to think about our parent's rivalry."

Grover's nose wrinkled and he said, "It did smell bad."

"**Because, Seaweed Brain, it's the first time we really talked, you and me. I told you about my family, and …"**

"Wait for the emotion speech here." Connor said, raising his hands like he was praying to the gods for a large turkey to come down from the ceiling.

**She took out her camp necklace, strung with her dad's college ring and a colorful clay bead for each year at Camp Half-Blood.**

A few looked at Annabeth, who was gazing at her camp necklace and fiddling with the red coral pendant Percy had given her.

**Now there was something else on the leather cord: a red coral pendant Percy had given her when they had started dating. ****He'd brought it from his father's palace at the bottom of the sea.**

"Awww..." Aphrodite cooed and Percy leaned towards her and whispered in her ear, "Just wait until I tell you about the families, the windows will shatter."

Annabeth chuckled lightly, her cheeks flushed as she remember that night.

"Wow, I never thought you two could be so...like other couples."

Percy rolled his eyes at Clarisse, who was smirking at him.

"Punk."

"**And," Annabeth continued, "it reminds me how long we've known each other. We were twelve, Percy. Can you believe that?"**

"No." Percy told the book.

"Percy, you're talking to a-Nevermind. Keep book talking, man." Travis finished as Percy raised his head and gazed at him, as if daring him to continue.

**(A/N: I talk to books to. Like when I was reading MoA, I was all scolding book Annabeth, "You know you wanted to tell Percy you loved him, gods. Just tell him already!" when she was leaving and it said, "She hesitated****, ****like she was wondering what else to say."**** UGH! Okay...shutting up now.)**

"**No," he admitted. "So … you knew you liked me from that moment?"**

"Yes." A few senior campers said, while Annabeth laughed, "You annoyed me so much."

"Yeah, that was the goal." Percy grinned at her.

"Your still annoying."

**She smirked. "I hated you at first.-**

"LIAR!" The whole camp chorused.

'We know you secret Annie. This book has so much good blackmail." Connor smirked.

Annabeth glowered at him, her grey eyes flashing, "Don't. Call. Me. Annie."

"Sorry, Annie!"

**-You annoyed me. Then I tolerated you for a few years.-**

A few campers laughed.

"Barley tolerated." Malcolm laughed.

**-Then—"**

"**Okay, fine."**

Thalia beamed at Percy, "Your learning!"

"Jerk."

"Ass."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before smiling and Thalia ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Good boy."

**She leaned over and kissed him: a good, proper kiss without anyone watching—no Romans anywhere, no screaming satyr chaperones.**

Percy smiled and leaned back into the couch, draping his arm across the back.

"Kind of like a underwater bubble huh?"

Annabeth smiled and said, "And when your second first kiss isn't interrupted by annoying campers?"

"Absolutely."

They both smiled at each other and then kissed for a quick moment, before Annabeth nodded to Aphrodite to continue.

**She pulled away. "I missed you, Percy."**

"I missed you to." Percy whispered and Annabeth nodded and said back softly, "I know."

**Percy wanted to tell her the same thing, but it seemed too small a comment. While he had been on the Roman side, he'd kept himself alive almost solely by thinking of Annabeth.**

Grover nodded. "Yeah, that doesn't cover it."

"You kept yourself alive by thinking about Annabeth?" Poseidon asked and Percy nodded.

"I kept telling myself that I would get back to her. No matter what stood in my way."

**I missed you didn't really cover that.**

Chiron smiled and Aphrodite grinned.

**He remembered earlier in the night, when Piper had forced the eidolon to leave his mind. Percy hadn't been aware of its presence until she had used her charmspeak. After the eidolon was gone, he felt as if a hot spike had been removed from his forehead. He hadn't realized how much pain he had been in until the spirit left. Then his thoughts became clearer. His soul settled comfortably back into his body.**

"Good, because your soul belongs in your body." Hermes commented.

The lord of the dead rolled his eyes, "No, really?"

**Sitting here with Annabeth made him feel the same way. The past few months could have been one of his strange dreams. The events at Camp Jupiter seemed as fuzzy and unreal as that fight with Jason, when they had both been controlled by the eidolons.**

**Yet he didn't regret the time he'd spent at Camp Jupiter. It had opened his eyes in a lot of ways.**

Most of the campers were all watching Aphrodite curiously, who was grinning widely.

"**Annabeth," he said hesitantly, "in New Rome, demigods can live their whole lives in peace."**

Thalia took in sharp breath and said, "You're going to stay there? And _leave us?"_

"Thals-"

"I always knew you were an idiot, but I didn't think you would ever be _disloyal to your own cam_-"

"I'm not being disloyal to my _home._" Percy argued.

"Well, then what are you doing?" She retorted.

He gritted his teeth for a second and replied in a tried voice, "I don't know alright. And I don't want to think about it right now."

Aphrodite took that pause to continue.

**Her expression turned guarded. "Reyna explained it to me. But, Percy, you belong at Camp Half-Blood. That other life—"**

Thalia nodded and looked at Percy pointy, who ignored her.

"**I know," Percy said. "But while I was there, I saw so many demigods living without fear: kids going to college, couples getting married and raising families. There's nothing like that at Camp Half-Blood. I kept thinking about you and me … and maybe someday when this war with the giants is over …"**

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Percy bit the inside of his lip nervously as all heads turned towards him.

That was when Aphrodite squealed loudly, shattering a few glass goblets on a coffee table.

"OH MY GODS! THAT WAS BASICALLY A PROPOSAL! I'M _SO_ GOING TO PLAN THE WEDDING!"

Percy let out a nervous laugh and then meet starling grey eyes.

"So, you want to get married and start a family with my daughter?" Her eyebrow raised questionably and Percy swallowed.

"Umm...yeah. Yes. I do." He replied, not breaking eye contact with her.

Then, Athena leaned back and crossed her arms, "I will not discuss this now. Later." She gave Percy and Annabeth a meaningful look and continued, "But not now."

After a few tense moment, Thalia pulled Percy into a hug, "_Idiot_. That's the reason you like it?"

Percy nodded and she gave him a kiss on the top of his head, "Before you do, if you survive that long, you have to get through _me, Malcolm, Athena, Annabeth's parents and then Chiron_. You sure you're up for that, Kelp?"

Percy looked at Annabeth, who was smirking at him and shrugged, "Not the most dangerous thing I've ever done."

"That's my boy. Laughing in the face of _death_." She smiled.

Grover hugged Annabeth and one by one, campers began patting Percy on the back and hugging Annabeth.

"I know you won't hurt her, but if you do, I'll kill you." Malcolm whispered to Percy and then Percy smiled, "You don't have to worry about that. Trust me."

Chiron smiled at both of them and said, "You've both grown up so much."

Annabeth smiled back at him, "I did, Percy didn't."

"Hey." He warned, but the corners of his lips were twitching as he fought off a smile.

"Okay, shall we continue?" Aphrodite asked.

Travis nodded and then looked at Annabeth, "How about you Mrs. Jackson?"

"Shut up and read already."

**It was hard to tell in the golden light, but he thought Annabeth was blushing. "Oh," she said.**

"Anyone would blush if someone said that to them." Lacy commented.

"I was not." Annabeth argued, while Percy rolled his eyes, "Yes you were."

**Percy was afraid he'd said too much. Maybe he'd scared her with his big dreams of the future. She was usually the one with the plans. Percy cursed himself silently.**

Annabeth rested her head against his shoulder and said, "It's not something to be afraid of."

"At 16, it kind of is." He responded, watching her out of the corner of his eyes.

**As long as he'd known Annabeth, he still felt like he understood so little about her. Even after they'd been dating several months, their relationship had always felt new and delicate, like a glass sculpture. He was terrified of doing something wrong and breaking it.**

Percy cursed under his breath and muttered, "Thank you book, for showing my innermost thoughts."

"Really? Your afraid of that?" Thalia asked and Percy glared at her.

"Yeah, alright."

"**I'm sorry," he said. "I just … I had to think of that to keep going. To give me hope. Forget I mentioned—"**

"Why? It was sweet." Lacy said.

Percy shrugged, "I was worried I stepped too far...Annabeth's the one with the plans."

"**No!" she said. "No, Percy. Gods, that's so sweet. It's just … we may have burned that bridge. If we can't repair things with the Romans—well, the two sets of demigods have never gotten along. That's why the gods kept us separate. I don't know if we could ever belong there."**

A few gods coughed and Percy raised one eyebrow.

"Yeah, and you shipped two demigods all the way across the country, whipped their memory, in hope that they wouldn't get killed by their enemy. Smart plan. No flaws whatsoever."

**Percy didn't want to argue, but he couldn't let go of the hope.**

"You never give up hope. It one of the most annoying but brave things I've ever seen."

Percy looked at Clarisse uncertainly, "Ugh...thanks?"

**It felt important—not just for Annabeth and him, but for all the other demigods. It had to be possible to belong in two different worlds at once. After all, that's what being a demigod was all about—not quite belonging in the mortal world or on Mount Olympus, but trying to make peace with both sides of their nature.**

The campers and Hunters were nodding in agreement.

"Yes. But with Percy, he annoys both sides, godly and mortally." Lou smiled.

"No I don't."

"Percy, I'm sorry." Annabeth said, looking at him with amusement in her eyes, "But have you seen your school record and it is terrible. Chiron has a copy of it in the attic."

His eyes lit with a bright glint, "Can I see it?"

"Maybe after we're done with the book."

**Unfortunately, that got him thinking about the gods, the war they were facing, and his dream about the twins Ephialtes and Otis.**

"Great." Athena groaned.

"**I was having a nightmare when you woke me up," he admitted.**

"At least you told her and didn't keep it to yourself." Lou muttered.

"Dreams like that, you should keep to yourself." Hermes stated.

**He told Annabeth what he'd seen.**

**Even the most troubling parts didn't seem to surprise her. She shook her head sadly when he described Nico's imprisonment in the bronze jar. She got an angry glint in her eyes when he told her about the giants planning some sort of Rome-destroying extravaganza that would include their painful deaths as the opening event.**

"No offense, but you two are pretty high up on the list for the _Most Wanted Demigods Death._" Phoebe stated, looking at Annabeth and Percy curiously.

"What did you two do anyways?"

They both glanced at each other and answered at the same time, "Blew up a bunch of stuff."

"Percy's specialty!"

"**Nico is the bait," she murmured.**

"Maybe because of _someone's_ fatal flaw." Athena said, looking pointy at Percy, who sighed through his nose in a frustrated manner.

"I know, I really got to work on that."

"What's a fatal flaw?" A Nike campers asked.

Annabeth answered him, "It's kind of a heroes weakness. Every hero has one. Mine is hubris. Pride."

"Hummus." Percy corrected and Annabeth smacked him on the arm before continuing, not before giving Percy an annoyed look.

"Percy's...well...you'll figure it out in the book." She finished and then nodded to Aphrodite to continue reading.

**"Gaea's forces must have captured him somehow. But we don't know exactly where they're holding him."**

Hades answered, "Somewhere in Rome. It makes sense."

"**Somewhere in Rome," Percy said. "Somewhere underground. They made it sound like Nico still had a few days to live, but I don't see how he could hold out so long with no oxygen."**

"**Five more days, according to Nemesis," Annabeth said. "The Kalends of July. At least the deadline makes sense now."**

"Huh?" Most of the campers said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and said, "I explained it. Just listen."

"**What's a Kalends?"**

**Annabeth smirked, like she was pleased they were back in their old familiar pattern—Percy being ignorant, she herself explaining stuff.**

Annabeth had that same smirk on her face. "I was. You're not you if you know stuff."

"Thanks, Annabeth. That so sweet." He told her and she kissed his cheek.

"Welcome Seaweed Brain."

"Aww...the normal routine of Percabeth." Katie smiled, making Percy groaned.

"Gods, shut up with that Percabeth crap already."

**(A/N: No offense to you Percabeth lovers out there. I'm one them to, and if you love something, your aloud to make fun of it. :) )**

"**It's just the Roman term for the first of the month. That's where we get the word calendar. But how can Nico survive that long? We should talk to Hazel."**

Clovis gazed at Percy like he was crazy, which he is.

"You want to wake her up in the middle of the night? How could you be so cruel to wake up a sleeping person?"

Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the boy and replied, "I wasn't thinking, and not a word."

A few campers pouted jokingly and closed their mouths.

"**Now?"**

"Yes, you need to interrupt her dream of unicorns pooing butterflies and farting rainbows." Chris said sarcastically.

"And this is why we're related." Travis smiled and Connor winked at Chris.

**(A/N: I hear that from a movie somewhere...my favorite line ever! Nevermind, I'm eating a McChicken.. :D )**

**She hesitated. "No. It can wait until morning. I don't want to hit her with this news in the middle of the night."**

"You would know how that feels."

Annabeth's lips pursed and she turned her head away, staring down at Percy's hand.

Sensing her uneasiness, Percy gripped her hand and a small dimple appeared on his cheek as he gave her a small smile.

"**The giants mentioned a statue," Percy recalled. "And something about a talented friend who was guarding it. Whoever this friend was, she scared Otis. Anyone who can scare a giant …"**

'We don't ever want to meet." The children in the room concluded.

**Annabeth gazed down at a highway snaking through dark hills. "Percy, have you seen Poseidon lately? Or had any kind of sign from him?"**

"Nope." Percy said.

Poseidon casted him a guilty look, "Sorry son."

"It's cool."

**He shook his head. "Not since … Wow. I guess I haven't thought about it. Not since the end of the Titan War. I saw him at Camp Half-Blood, but that was last August."**

"Woah, it's almost been a year?" Thalia asked.

"Yeah. Pretty crazy year, huh?" Percy stated.

"Probably the most craziest I've ever had." Annabeth answered, and most of the campers nodded in agreement.

**A sense of dread settled over him. "Why? Have you seen Athena?"**

"Yes."

**She didn't meet his eyes.**

"Percy may be slow, but he's pretty damn observant. He'll be able to tell if your lying. And he can see right through you Annabeth." Thalia said.

"One of the signs your lying is not keeping eye contact." Hermes and the Hermes Cabin recited.

"**A few weeks ago," she admitted. "It … it wasn't good. She didn't seem like herself. Maybe it's the Greek/Roman schizophrenia that Nemesis described. I'm not sure. She said some hurtful things. She said I had failed her."**

Athena winced at the flash of hurt that showed across her daughters face.

"How could you fail her?" Malcolm asked.

"Please, Malcolm. We'll talk about it later."

Malcolm narrrowed his eyes. She said _We'll. As in two people. As in her and Percy._

Something was going on between Annabeth and Athena, something very bad had happened recently, maybe it had to do with the way Percy and Annabeth both appeared like they had been _dragged_ to _hell_.

Whatever it was, _Percy knew about it. _

"**Failed her?" Percy wasn't sure he'd heard her right. Annabeth was the perfect demigod child. She was everything a daughter of Athena should be.**

"You don't know how much you adore Annabeth do you?" Pollux asked, an amused smile on his face.

**"How could you ever—?"**

"**I don't know," she said miserably. "On top of that, I've been having nightmares of my own. They don't make as much sense as yours."**

Percy wrapped his arm around her and she settled against him, trying to relax.

**Percy waited, but Annabeth didn't share any more details. He wanted to make her feel better and tell her it would be okay, but he knew he couldn't. He wanted to fix everything for both of them so they could have a happy ending.**

That made them both wince and Percy muttered, "We'd better have that happy ending or so help me gods-"

"I know how you feel." Annabeth answered back.

After all these years, even the cruelest gods would have to admit they deserved it.

They both looked away from the gods as they looked at each other.

_Had we really put that much on them? _

Thalia looked at Grover and a sorrowful glance pasted between them.

_If anyone deserved to be left alone by the gods, it was them._

**But he had a gut feeling that there was nothing he could do to help Annabeth this time, other than simply be there. **

Annabeth looked at him and muttered in his ear, "That's all I need from you Seaweed Brain. You can't protect me all the time and besides, I don't need protection."

Percy nodded and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear and whispered, "Doesn't mean I won't do anything to keep you safe."

She smiled softly at him and said, "I know."

**Wisdom's daughter walks alone.**

"I hate that line."

**He felt as trapped and helpless as when he'd sunk into the muskeg.**

**Annabeth managed a faint smile. "Some romantic evening, huh? No more bad things until the morning." She kissed him again. "We'll figure everything out. I've got you back. For now, that's all that matters."**

A few campers giggled and smirked when Percy smiled at his girlfriend.

"It is all that matters. We're together."

Annabeth smiled back at him, ignoring Grover making kissy faces at the two of them.

"**Right," Percy said. "No more talk about Gaea rising, Nico being held hostage, the world ending, the giants—"**

"SHUT UP PERCY!"

"Sorry." He said and Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Idiot."

"**Shut up, Seaweed Brain," she ordered.**

"You tell him Annie." Thalia shared a smile with Grover.

"**Just hold me for a while."**

Wolf whistles sounded through the room and Travis yelled, "Yeah! You go Percy!"

Athena just rolled her eyes and Chiron huffed.

**They sat together cuddling, enjoying each other's warmth.**

Campers were smiling and winking at Percy and Annabeth, who were blushing from all the attention.

"Wow. I didn't know Annabeth liked to cuddle. Maybe I could send a picture to Athena." Connor said, waggling his eyebrows at the daughter of Athena.

"I only cuddle with Percy. And my mother's right there idiot."

"Oh."

Percy chuckled, "Only with me huh?"

Annabeth elbowed him in the ribs and said, "Yes, now shut up, I want this chapter over with."

**Before Percy knew it, the drone of the ship's engine, the dim light, and the comfortable feeling of being with Annabeth made his eyes heavy, and he drifted to sleep.**

"AHH! THE FIRST TIME THEY SLEPT TOGETHER!"

"APHRODITE!"

**(A/N: I just realized that sounded wrong...oh well. I mean in the, cuddle and fell asleep in each other's arms kind of sleep...not the other one...screw it. Nevermind.) **

"That's so romantic. You fell asleep in each other's arms and you snuck out to see each other like Romeo and Juliet."

Percy and Annabeth made a face.

"Didn't they both die in the end?" Percy asked.

Drew snorted, "That's what makes it so romantic. Because we all know you would die for Annabeth, right?"

_Say no. Say no._

"In a heartbeat but I still don't see-"

_Crap. Oh look, son of Apollo. _

Annabeth then held up her hands and signaled time-out. "Hold up. You did _not_ just compare Percy and my relationship to _Romeo and Juliet_...because of our parents."

"It makes sense." Thalia said, and then quickly continued, "I mean, you both won't die. None of you are close to dying right? In the future?"

They exchanged glances and Percy tugged his sleeve further over his arm and answered hoarsely, "No."

**When he woke, daylight was coming through the glass floor, and a boy's voice said, "Oh … You are in so much trouble."**

"YOU GOT CAUGHT!" The camp screamed.

Travis placed his hand over his heart and said, "I can't believe it. Our Annie is growing up and she was caught asleep with a son of Poseidon!"

"Bad Annabeth. Breaking the rules, I understand Percy but you-"

Chiron shook his head slightly, "You two have some explaining to do."

Surprisingly, Athena leaned forward in her throne and said, "Cut them some slack, Chiron. They haven't seen each other in 7 months and it was the first time they were alone."

Percy looked at her and said, "Umm...thanks?"

She turned and gave him a smile, her eyes stern, "Oh, I'm still going to talk to you. But what you did for my daughter, how you protect her, I'll let you off the hook. For now..."

"And anymore funny business between you two-" Chiron began but Percy cleared his throat loudly, "So. Who wants to read?"

Athena raised her hand and said, "I'll read it."

Aphrodite handed her the book and she opened it to the right page.

"**Percy XIV**."

**Woah. I wrote a lot. I hope you review and like this chapter. Took a long time because I wanted to get it right. I'll update again, on Monday, because we don't have school! :) Love you guys and OH MY GODS! Have you seen the new PEPSI BLUE! IT"S BLUE! Even though it's Pepsi...and I love Coke but it's blue and when I saw it, I laughed and was like, "THIS WAS TOTALLY A PERCY JACKSON FAN WHO MADE THIS." WOULDN'T THAT BE COOL! **

**Love, **

**BlackConverse3**


	18. Chapter 18

**Wassup my lovelies! And I haven't been updating because I'm swamped with HW: two essays, three projects and I never finish my HW before 10 at night, so sorry if it takes me a long time. And sorry if I spell words wrong. I get it. IT'S TARTARUS! Thanks for the criticism, that totally helps writers write. And if you don't like the story, don't READ IT. So, you excited for the HoH? I'm not. Honestly, I want to stay in my little perfect Percy Jackson world, were no one dies and no one has to stay behind in the Doors of Death. Remember the promise Percy made at the end of SoN? You think that has something to do with the prophecy? Okay, well, I'm gonna start now.**

**Everything in bold goes to Rick. **

**"****Percy ****XIV**."

Athena cleared her throat and began reading.

**Percy had seen Frank surrounded by cannibal ogres, facing down an unkillable giant, and even unleashing Thanatos, the god of death.**

"Damn, that's freaking amazing." Travis muttered.

"But?" Thalia asked.

**But he'd never seen Frank look as terrified as he did now, finding the two of them passed out in the stables.**

Campers broke into snickers and Chiron huffed, crossing his arms.

"Do you two pass out in stables often?"

"Shut up Connor!"

"**What …?" Percy rubbed his eyes. "Oh, we just fell asleep."**

Grover exchanged looks with Thalia and he said, "Uh huh. _Surreee_, that's what happened."

Percy let out a frustrated grunt, "That's what happened! You read it in the book just a few minutes ago!"

"You know, books can be deceiving. They screw with you head."

Percy broke into a quiet grumble of Greek curse words about how he wanted to stick Connor with Riptide.

**Frank swallowed. He was dressed in running shoes, dark cargo pants, and a Vancouver Winter Olympics T-shirt with his Roman centurion badge pinned to the neck (which seemed either sad or hopeful to Percy, now that they were renegades).**

"Both, I would think."

**Frank averted his eyes as if the sight of them together might burn him.**

Campers chuckled while Annabeth had her eyes closed and was slowly shaking her head.

"**Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped," he said. **"**We've been scouring the ship. When Coach Hedge finds out—oh, gods, you've been here all night?"**

"Yes." The campers chorused.

"**Frank!" Annabeth's ears were as red as strawberries. **

Percy's emotionless face turned up and he chuckled with amusement.

"Whoa, Annabeth blushed."

"The world is ending!"

A Hunter glared at Travis and threatened quietly, "_Your _world is going to end if you don't shut you piehole!"

"**We just came down here to talk. We fell asleep. Accidentally. That's it."**

"**Kissed a couple of times," Percy said.**

**Annabeth glared at him. "Not helping!"**

"Does he ever?" Thalia supplied and Annabeth laughed, while Percy glared at her.

"Shut up, Owl Head."

"**We'd better …" Frank pointed to the stable doors. "Uh, we're supposed to meet for breakfast. Would you explain what you did— ****I mean didn't do?-**

"It depends, what do you think they did?" Travis asked.

Everyone exchanged looks.

_OH MY GODS! _

Thalia covered her hand with her mouth, her eyes wide and she whispered, "They didn't..."

Annabeth shrugged, "By the way Hazel was glaring at Percy, I think they did."

Travis's eyebrows crunched together and he stared at Connor, "What didn't they do?"

**(A/N: I was going to put a quirk here by Aphrodite...but, I don't want to ruin you beautiful little minds and I don't know what you all picked up from reading this part. So, shall we continue?)**

**-I mean … I really don't want that faun—I mean satyr—to kill me."**

**Frank ran.**

"I wouldn't do that. I would've questioned them and then reported it to the Aphrodite cabin." Connor smiled at Percy and Annabeth, who then in turn, glared at him.

Travis hi-fived his brother and grinned, "Me to, buddy."

**When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, it wasn't quite as bad as Frank had feared. Jason and Piper were mostly relieved. Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic."**

"No truer words ever said."

**Only Hazel seemed scandalized, maybe because she was from the 1940s. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet Percy's eyes.**

Everyone busted out laughing.

"Oh Hazel."

**Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic; but Percy found it hard to take the satyr seriously since he was barely five feet tall.**

"**Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"**

"Well, that's what happens when you put those two in the same room together. They break the rules...well, Percy for the most part does. Like when you snuck out to find Annabeth on the quest?"

"**Coach," Annabeth said, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."**

"**Besides," Percy said, "you're starting to sound like Terminus."**

Thalia turned to Percy and scolded, "Percy. You need to stop blurting things out."

"I can't help it. I just comes out."

**Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll—I'll terminus you, buddy!"**

Travis and Connor laughed.

"I would pay to see that. Coach Hedge versus Percy Jackson. Gods. In an eating contest!"

Campers all laughed and Grover smirked.

"Told you."

**Percy tried not to laugh. "It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"**

"Ah, I see what you did there Perce. Changing the subject?"

"I wasn't-" Percy began and then he let out a sigh, "Just keep reading. I'm not going to argue."

**Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense—"**

"With Percy, not much. But she shows her whole, _"leadership" _thing with the other campers and she can be herself with Percy and her friends."

Athena looked at her daughter and grumbled, "Yes, I thought you had more sense and then you started dating that Sea Spawn."

**Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."**

"Awkward."

**The meeting was like a war council with donuts. Then again, back at Camp Half-Blood they used to have their most serious discussions around the Ping-Pong table in the rec room with crackers and Cheez Whiz, so Percy felt right at home.**

"Ahh, how much I love those meetings."

"Of course you felt at home, you are talking about home."

**He told them about his dream—the twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.**

Katie winced and said, "That's not something you want to tell someone sibling."

**Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico … Oh, gods. The seeds."**

"She know what they are?" Chris asked and Annabeth nodded.

"Well, she is the daughter of Pluto and she knows Nico. I'm guessing he told her."

"**You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.**

**Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."**

"**Your step … oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone."**

"Didn't she turn him into a flower?" Annabeth asked.

Percy and Thalia grimaced at the mention of Nico's stepmother.

Hades nodded, "Yes, by mistake though. I think."

**Percy had met the wife of Hades once. She hadn't been exactly warm and sunny. He had also been to her Underworld garden—a creepy place full of crystal trees and flowers that bloomed bloodred and ghost white.**

"**The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel said. Percy could tell she was nervous, because all the silverware on the table was starting to move toward her.**

"That's kind of cool." Connor whispered to Katie, who nodded.

"Yeah, but then you could tell that person is nervous."

**"Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"**

"That's smart...I think." Hermes said, glancing at Hades.

The Lord of the Dead said nothing, his face pale as ever and his black eyes were nervous.

"**The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."**

_"Assume?" _Hades asked.

"**Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. "Won't we?"**

"**Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"**

"Just because it involves fighting?" Grover asked.

"Most likely."

"**Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before … uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"**

Poseidon sighed, "Both sound bad."

"**One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."**

Travis looked at Annabeth and said sarcastically, "Really? I thought a _death trance_ would be fun. Like a pony ride."

"Shut up Travis."

"**It keeps him from consuming all his air," Hazel said. "Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."**

"**And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome—"**

"**That's not much time," Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name: di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angel.'"**

"So, Nico holds the key to endless death? How is that even possible?" Lou asked no one in particular.

"That's what it says." Athena said as she looked over the line once more.

_Who holds the key to endless death..._

"**Oh, gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico …"**

Several campers looked down, feeling sad for the son of Hades.

He didn't deserve what was happening...or what happened to him.

_No one did._

**Percy stared at his jelly donut. He had a rocky history with Nico di Angelo. The guy had once tricked him into visiting Hades's palace, and Percy had ended up in a cell.**

"And...he did this when?" Annabeth asked.

Percy answered, "When I was going to the Underworld to get the Curse."

"Oh, your invincible curse."

**But most of the time, Nico sided with the good guys. He certainly didn't deserve slow suffocation in a bronze jar, and Percy couldn't stand seeing Hazel in pain.**

"**We'll rescue him," he promised her. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."**

"**That's right," Piper said encouragingly. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."**

"**He can tell us where the doors are," Percy said, "and how to close them."**

Clarisse turned to Percy and Annabeth and asked, "How do you close the doors?"

_One has to stay behind. _

They glanced at each other, pain visible in their eyes and Annabeth replied softly, "Please, don't ask. All of your questions will be answered in the book."

**Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."**

"**Uh …" Leo shifted in his chair. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"**

**Hazel looked at Leo like he'd made a rude gesture. "We have no choice!"**

"What is he suggesting?" Hades asked,

"That Nico is cheating...wait..." Travis hesitated and then continued, "I mean cheating on us. You know what? Never mind. Forget I ever said anything."

"He's switching between camps." Annabeth clarified, making a few looked uneasy and angry.

"**Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico … he knew about both camps, right?"**

"**Well, yes," Hazel said.**

"**He's been going back and forth," Leo said, "and he didn't tell either side."**

"Well, his family is from Camp Half-Blood and Percy's like an older brother to him and he's here...but his sister is at Camp Jupiter and since Bianca..."

Annabeth's voice trailed off.

"He's just confused. I'm sure if there's a battle, he'll fight with us." Thalia said, placing her hand on Annabeth's shoulder.

**Jason sat forward, his expression grim. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."**

"Nico is trustworthy." Lou confirmed.

**Hazel shot to her feet. "I don't believe this. He's my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"**

"Hazel. I don't think he meant to make it sound like that." Hades said quietly, making most of the gods look shocked at his soft tone.

**Frank put his hand on her shoulder. "Nobody's saying that." He glared at Leo. "Nobody had better be saying that."**

**Leo blinked. "Look, guys. All I mean is—"**

"**Hazel," Jason said. "Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as … well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."**

"Hazel's not going to like that. Get ready to get your hide whipped Jason." Connor said.

"How do you know Hazel will do that?" Travis asked.

Connor smiled at his brother and said, nudging him with his elbow, "Because I would do the same for you."

"Same here."

**Hazel's arms shook. A silver platter zoomed toward her and hit the wall to her left, splattering scrambled eggs.**

"I bet those scrambled eggs were good to."

"Not the time, Will."

The son of Apollo smiled sheepishly at Athena.

**"You … the great Jason Grace … the praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you …"**

"That's gotta hurt his pride." Zeus said.

Thalia snorted, "He's gonna get hurt in more ways than one if he doesn't get out of her way."

**Hazel stomped her foot and stormed out of the mess hall.**

Travis whistled.

"A girl mad is never a good sign."

Katie smiled at him, "Yeah, and another girl is gonna kick your butt if you don't shut it."

"**Hazel!" Leo called after her. "Ah, jeez. I should—"**

"Trust me. You don't want to do that. She'll hit you." Percy said.

"**You've done enough," Frank growled. He got up to follow her, but Piper gestured for him to wait.**

"**Give her time," Piper advised. Then she frowned at Leo and Jason. "You guys, that was pretty cold."**

The girls in the room, along with a few guys nodded in agreement.

"Her brother is dying. How would you react?"

The people who had disagreed, glanced at their siblings and mumbled, "Okay. Good point."

**Jason looked shocked. "Cold? I'm just being cautious!"**

"**Her brother is dying," Piper said.**

"**I'll go talk to her," Frank insisted.**

"Nope. She needs to be alone." Thalia agreed.

"**No," Piper said. "Let her cool down first. Trust me on this. I'll go check on her in a few minutes."**

"**But…" Frank huffed like an irritated bear. "Fine. I'll wait."**

"Irritated bear? Can he turn into an irritated bear?"

"Probably."

**From up above came a whirring sound like a large drill.**

"**That's Festus," Leo said. "I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there … uh, assuming we know where to land."**

**Everyone turned to Percy.**

"Most do. You are our leader, after all." Annabeth muttered.

Percy snorted softly, "Come on, Wise Girl. Stop-"

Her grey eyes were shining as she looked up at him, "Percy. You are. And you're going to lead the Greeks and Romans against-"

His answered was simple and soft, like he was talking to a scared child, "What if we don't make it?"

She fell silent and rested her head against his shoulder, "It'll be okay. We _both have _to make it out."

He nodded and stared at the wall.

_And if we don't make it?_

**Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're Captain Salt Water.-**

Campers chuckled with amusement and Thalia declared, "No. Seaweed Brain is better."

She turned to her cousin with amusement in her eyes, "Huh, _Captain Salt Water_?"

**-Any ideas from the expert?"**

"Is that resentment?" Thalia asked.

**Was that resentment in his voice? Percy wondered if Jason was secretly miffed about the duel in Kansas. Jason had joked about it, but Percy figured that they both harbored a little grudge. You couldn't put two demigods in a fight and not have them wonder who was stronger.**

"That's true." Thalia said.

The demigods nodded and Ares said, "It's the same for the gods. Mostly the Big Three."

"**I'm not sure," he admitted. "Somewhere central, high up so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with some woods? We don't want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. I doubt even the Mist could cover up something that huge."**

Chiron shrugged, "I think it would. It would look like a giant blimp maybe."

**Leo nodded. "On it." He raced for the stairs.**

**Frank settled back in his chair uneasily. Percy felt bad for him. On the trip to Alaska, he had watched Hazel and Frank grow close. He knew how protective Frank felt toward her. He also noticed the baleful look Frank was giving Leo. He decided it might be a good idea to get Frank off the ship for a while.**

"Smart. You do not want a mad son of Mars."

"**When we land, I'll scout around in Atlanta," Percy said. "Frank, I could use your help."**

"**You mean turn into a dragon again? Honestly, Percy, I don't want to spend the whole quest being everyone's flying taxi."**

Travis smirked, "Is he the _Cash Cab_?"

"**No," Percy said. "I want you with me because you've got the blood of Poseidon. Maybe you can help me figure out where to find salt water. Besides, you're good in a fight."**

"Nice flattery Percy."

Percy scowled at Clarisse, "I meant it."

**That seemed to make Frank feel a little better. "Sure. I guess."**

"**Great," Percy said. "We should take one more. Annabeth—"**

"**Oh, no!" Coach Hedge barked. "Young lady, you are grounded."**

Annabeth scowled and crossed her arms while Percy rolled his eyes.

"Wait...he grounded you?" Thalia asked, her voice shaking from suppressed laughter.

"Yes."

"That's the most funniest thing I've ever heard!"

**Annabeth stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language. "Excuse me?"**

"**You and Jackson are not going anywhere together!" Hedge insisted.**

"YES! You and Jackson aren't going anywhere together!" Connor said in a bad imitation of Coach Hedge.

**He glared at Percy, daring him to mouth off. "I'll go with Frank and Mr. Sneaky Jackson. The rest of you guard the ship and make sure Annabeth doesn't break any more rules!"**

"That is the most funniest thing I've ever heard." Lou said.

"Mr. Sneaky Jackson. Nice nickname, Perce." Grover grinned at his best friend.

"Yeah, it suits you." Thalia added, making Percy roll his eyes.

"Yeah, it does."

**Wonderful, Percy thought. A boys' day out with Frank and a bloodthirsty satyr, to find salt water in a landlocked city.**

Campers all looked at each other, grinning widely.

"That would be _so_ much fun." The Hermes cabin chorused.

"**This," he said, "is going to be _so_ much fun."**

Athena closed the book and said, "Done."

"And it past your bedtime, children. It's 11:12. Come on, we will continue this tomorrow."

With weak protests and grumbles, everyone filed out of the Big House.

Annabeth kissed Percy goodnight and smiled, "Night, Seaweed Brain."

He smiled in response and left for his cabin.

Annabeth blinked and felt a cold shiver run up her spine.

_Just because you're not in my clutches now, daughter of Athena, doesn't mean anything. _

_I will have you both back soon, sooner than you think. _

Gaea's voice purred in her mind and she pressed her palm against her head, feeling sharp pain coursing through her head.

Malcolm looked at his sister concerned, "Annabeth. You alright?"

She let out a shaky breath and answered, "Yeah. Come on, let's go to bed."

**The next chapter is going to start with Annabeth having nightmares and Malcolm is going to comfort her. I don't know when I'll update next. I have a lot of work to do and study and it's a pain in the ass. So, review and have a nice summer. :)**

**-BlackConverse3**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey, I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while. I'm in Montana visiting family and working on their ranch, so it's really hard to get on the computer because I'm exhausted after working and then I have to play with my...cousin's daughter and son, who are 4 and 2 and I'm dead by the time I go want to get on the computer. Most of the time, I want to talk to my friends and family, who are in California because I live in California and I can't not talk to my friends and family because I'm in another state. And I've been watching Supernatural on Netflix, because it one of my favorite shows. And I cut up my hands and I'm getting eaten by mosquitoes and horseflies, so it's pretty hard to type right now. But thank you, for not going off on me. I'll hopefully be updating next, next week sometime. And I was the photographer for my other cousin's wedding and it was awesome. **

**Everything in bold goes to Rick Riodran, because he's awesome. **

Annabeth laid in her bed, curling under the grey sheets as she tried to get some sleep. It didn't work of course.

Images flashed in her mind, fresh smells filled her nose and her whole body ached with the pain she had experienced in that _hellhole. _

She tugged the sheets up towards her head and faced the wall, biting her lip and holding back a sharp breath as pain coursed through her spine.

Malcolm rolled over in his bed and noticed Annabeth's toes curling down into the palm of her feet, and she kept shifting, like her bed was uncomfortable.

"Annabeth?" He called softly into the dark cabin.

She immediately stopped moving and he could see her whole body tense up under the sheets as he called her name. Her breath then came out in a puff of pale mist and she sat up, swiveling her body so her legs hung over the side of her bed.

"Malcolm. What do you want?"

The moonlight turned her blonde hair silver and it outlined the bags under her eyes and the faint scar that laid on the corner of her mouth. That wasn't there when she had been helping build the Argo II that went to sail to New Rome and find Percy.

"Are you okay?"

She turned her head away slightly and didn't answer his question.

He knew there was something going on between Percy and Annabeth, something bad had happened. Bad enough to leave them both in a state where they looked...well...broken.

Of course Malcolm wouldn't call them broken, more like...worn-out. But he was pretty sure if he mentioned it, Percy and Annabeth would turn him into a fresh owl pellet.

"Annabeth. What happened to you and Percy?" He asked his half-sister.

Even in the dim light, he could see her bottom lip trembling as she took in a deep breath and she turned her head towards him and looked him in the eyes.

Red edged her dull grey eyes and a tear escaped one of her eyes, tracing a line down her cheek and it plopped down onto her lap.

Malcolm immediately got up from his bed and sat down next to her, put his arm around her and she buried her face in his shoulder, silent tears streaking down her cheeks.

He said nothing out of shock, his sister never cried. She always set a good example for the other campers. The only time he had seen her cry was three times: When Thalia had been turned into a tree, when she found out Luke was a traitor, and at the 4 month mark of Percy's disappearance.

"I can't." Her voice broke as she spoke and she raised her head to look at Malcolm.

"I can't." Malcolm could feel her hands shaking and she shut her eyes tight, as if trying to stop time from moving.

"Annabeth, please. You need to relax. It'll be oka-"

His voice caught in his throat and he wrapped his sister in a hug as she shivered.

It took half an hour to calm her down and he pulled the soft comforter over her as she rolled over in her sleep, muttering words and shifted around from time to time.

As he was about to get back to bed, he heard her whisper something.

"Stop it. I can't leave you. I won't."

He stared at her for a moment and then glanced at his desk, where his black hoodie laid across the chair neatly.

Malcolm glanced at the clock, _2:12 AM. _As quietly as he could, he snatched up his hoodie and sneakers and slipped through the doors.

He knocked softly on the door of Percy's Cabin. No sound came from within for a moment before Malcolm heard the sound of footsteps walking towards the door.

"Who is it?" Percy voice sounded tired and Malcolm heard the gentle tap of Riptide against the door.

"Percy. It's Malcolm."

The door immediately flung open and revealed Percy, standing there in just dark grey pajama pants. His hair was ruffled as usual and he capped Riptide and slipped the pen into his pocket. The two campers locked eyes for a long moment.

Malcolm studied him for a moment, noticing the smile lines at the corner of his eyes weren't very visible and the bags under his eyes were slightly darker.

"Is Annabeth okay?"

He nodded to the son of Poseidon and said, "She was crying earlier, and I want to know why."

Percy rubbed his face with one of his hands and ran it back through his hair.

"That's something I can't tell you." He answered in a hard tone.

The son of Athena walked forward quickly and pushed Percy against the wall of his cabin, his arm under his throat and his grey eyes were filled with anger.

He snapped, "Tell me what happened! Now!"

Percy didn't seemed fazed and he said calmly, "Malcolm, I can't. We've already said this-"

"I don't care! Tell me what happened to my sister or I swear to the gods I'll-"

"What?" Percy whispered, staring straight into Malcolm's eyes.

"You want the gods to burn us to ashes for lying to you? Well, that'll just be a picnic compared to what happened. Annabeth and I, both have already been through enough." His sea-green eyes were dark and glinted with suppressed anger, like a hurricane's eye. His muscles tensed up and he just stared at Malcolm, waiting.

The son of Athena released him and took a few steps back.

Percy rotated his right shoulder once before turning his back and shifting through his shirt drawer.

The moonlit hit Percy and outlined his scars like a white crayon against a piece of black paper. Malcolm asked, "Were'd you get that scar?" He tilted his head to the side slightly and Percy plucked a clean shirt from his drawer and pulled it on before turning towards him.

"Holy Athena, is it burned into your skin?" Malcolm walked forward and grabbed Percy's forearm and gazed at the scar there. It said, carved delicately, _I Vow, Loyal Till Death_.

He stared wordlessly at Percy as he pulled his arm away and walked over and sat on the edge of his bed.

The sheets were rumpled but they looked unslept in. He probably hadn't even been sleeping well for the past few days.

"Perce." The son of Athena said and he walked over and stood near the son of Poseidon, who had his head in his hand and his other hand was clenching the silk sheets.

"Don't." Was all Percy said and Malcolm nodded and stayed silent.

He studied the wound. He could tell it was made by a knife, the way the curves were so careful. Whoever did this, obviously wanted to cause a lot of pain.

"Malcolm." Percy spoke up after a few minutes of silence and he turned and looked at the now standing Percy, who continued, "I will tell you something. I love Annabeth, more than anything, more than my own life. But what happened is something between me and her. You will find out what happens, but it's too soon. We can still feel everything, we are both terrified. I'll promise you something though, I will do whatever it takes to make sure she comes home safe."

Malcolm was now staring at Percy Jackson, the stubborn protective idiot who would do anything for his sister, for anyone at the camp, for his friends and family.

"Thank you, Percy." Malcolm said and Percy smiled his troublemaker smile and said, "Anytime, man. Now get out, it's starting to smell like old books."

As Malcolm opened the door and stepped out into the chilly night, he turned and looked at Percy, "Why can't you tell us what happened?"

Percy looked to the side and then back at Malcolm and said, his voice slightly shaky, "I-I don't want to talk about it. I can't talk about that."

The son of Athena nodded and put his hand on Percy shoulder, "But when you decide to, they're all people who want to help. You are not alone, Percy."

Percy didn't say anything, just turned stepped back into his cabin and said quietly, as the door was closing, "I know."

The next day came quickly and everyone settled into the Big House. Athena then raised the book and said, "Who wants to read next?" Butch raised his hand and Athena handed him the book and settled back in her throne. Butch cleared his throat and began, "**Percy XV**."

**Percy climbed out on deck and said, "Wow."**

Thalia rolled her eyes, "That could be your favorite word Percy."

**They had landed near the summit of a forested hill. A complex of white buildings, like a museum or a university, nestled in a grove of pines to the left. Below them spread the city of Atlanta—a cluster of brown and silver downtown skyscrapers two miles away, rising from what looked like an endless flat sprawl of highways, railroad tracks, houses, and green swathes of forest.**

"**Ah, lovely spot." Coach Hedge inhaled the morning air. "Good choice, Valdez."**

Grover nodded in agreement, "It is a good choice. There's probably some enchiladas near so you could stop and get some for lunch."

Percy stared at him for a moment and shook his head, amused.

_Same old Grover._

**Leo shrugged. "I just picked a tall hill. That's a presidential library or something over there. At least that's what Festus says."**

"Man, I wish all dragons were like that." Travis sighed.

A few campers looked down, in memory of the ones they had lost in the Titan War last year, and the ones they knew they were going to lose this year.

"**I don't know about that!" Hedge barked. "But do you realize what happened on this hill? Frank Zhang, you should know!"**

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "He should?"

Percy rolled his eyes and said, "No, he shouldn't."

**Frank flinched. "I should?"**

Travis cooed, "Aww, little Zhangy-Wang is scared of Coach Hedge."

Katie turned and argued, "So are you!"

"So. He's a son of Mars."

Connor nodded and added, "And he's the son of Hermes."

She sighed, "Thank you for that lovely information Connor. A lot of people are afraid of Coach Hedge, let's just leave it at that."

"**A son of Ares stood here!" Hedge cried indignantly.**

"**I'm Roman … so Mars, actually."**

Campers busted out into chuckles at Frank's comment.

"Nicely played, Zhang."

"**Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!"**

Percy snorted with laughter.

"He's Canadian."

"**I'm Canadian, actually."**

"**Whatever! General Sherman, Union leader. He stood on this hill watching the city of Atlanta burn. Cut a path of destruction all the way from here to the sea. Burning, looting, pillaging—now there was a demigod!"**

The Ares campers cheered and Ares smirked proudly at his son.

Clarisse rolled her eyes and muttered, "I could've taken him."

**Frank inched away from the satyr. "Uh, okay."**

**Percy didn't care much about history,-**

Annabeth rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

"Of course you don't. You don't care much about anything to do with school."

"That's not true. I liked Chiron's class that he taught at Yancy Academy."

The daughter of Athena shook her head, "That doesn't count."

"How does that not count? I was there for like, almost a year."

**-but he wondered whether landing here was a bad omen.**

"Everything's a bad omen when you're a demigod." Clarisse muttered and the campers all nodded in agreement.

**He'd heard that most human civil wars started as fights between Greek and Roman demigods. Now they were standing on the site of one such battle. The entire city below them had been leveled on orders of a child of Ares.**

"Who else would cause a civil war like that but a child of Ares?"

"Watch what you say, punk." Ares said to Will, who shrunk back in his seat.

"You mean besides their father?" Athena said.

The war god glared at the goddess and then turned to Butch, "Continue."

**Percy could imagine some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood giving such a command.**

A few Ares campers puffed out their chests and smirked proudly.

Percy's eyebrows furrowed together, "That's not really something to be proud about. That puts us in more danger, because if the Romans are mar-"

Annabeth slapped her hand over his mouth and whispered, "Shh...don't tell them anything, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh...right. Sorry." He looked at her sheepishly.

**Clarisse La Rue, for instance, wouldn't hesitate.**

Clarisse muttered, "Depends."

**But he couldn't imagine Frank being so harsh.**

"That's a bad thing." Mark, son of Ares scowled.

"A child of Ares should never be soft."

"Son of Mars. They're different." Percy pointed out.

"So, Mars is more warlike than Ares." He argued.

"Hey!" Ares complained.

"But Frank won't fight a battle he doesn't think is right. That's a good thing that he actually cares."

"**Anyway," Percy said, "let's try not to burn down the city this time."**

"Um. When did you burn down a city?"

"Oh. I have a list of when Percy-" Travis began but he was cut off by Athena.

"As much as I'd like to know about all the trouble the Sea Spawn had gotten into, Butch, would you please continue the book?"

The son of Iris nodded.

**The coach looked disappointed. "All right. But where to?"**

**Percy pointed toward downtown. "When in doubt, start in the middle."**

Chris looked confused, "That's the saying?"

"Yeah, I think so."

**Catching a ride there was easier than they thought. The three of them headed to the presidential library—which turned out to be the Carter Center—and asked the staff if they could call a taxi or give them directions to the nearest bus stop. Percy could have summoned Blackjack, but he was reluctant to ask the pegasus for help so soon after their last disaster.**

"Aww, Percy, come on man. He's your flesh and blood." Travis said, giving Percy his _"puppy-dog look"._

Percy shuddered, "Come on, man. Don't remind me."

**Frank didn't want to polymorph into anything. And besides, Percy was kind of hoping to travel like a regular mortal for a change.**

"Yeah!" Thalia said cheerfully. "Before a monster appeared and tries to kill you."

"That would be nice. Being a mortal for the day...no monsters...no pranks..." Travis began and then him and Connor made a face.

"Nah. To boring."

Percy shrugged, "Kinda wish my life was boring."

**One of the librarians, whose name was Esther,-**

A son of Iris's nose scrunched together, "Esther? Who names their kid that?"

**-insisted on driving them personally. She was so nice about it, Percy thought she must be a monster in disguise;-**

A few campers chuckled.

It was pretty normal for mortals to turn out to become fire-breathing lizards with spiked tails.

**-but Hedge pulled him aside and assured him that Esther smelled like a normal human.**

"Question?" Hermes asked.

Athena let out a sigh, "What Hermes?"

"What do mortals smell like?" He asked.

"I don't know. Mortally?"

"**With a hint of potpourri," he said. "Cloves. Rose petals. Tasty!"**

Grover smiled lovingly, "Mmmm...Rose Petals..."

One of the Hunters, made a face, "Sounds like Coach wants to eat her."

Grover looked horrified and he argued, "He would never! She's meat!"

"At least we know that satyr's won't turn into cannibals."

**They piled into Esther's big black Cadillac and drove toward downtown. Esther was so tiny, she could barely see over the steering wheel; but that didn't seem to bother her. She muscled her car through traffic while regaling them with stories about the crazy families of Atlanta—the old plantation owners, the founders of Coca-Cola, the sports stars, and the CNN news people.**

Several campers groaned.

They haven't had a regular fresh can of Coca-Cola in a long time.

**She sounded so knowledgeable that Percy decided to try his luck.**

Connor laughed, "It sounds like your about to make a move on her, Perce."

Percy made a disgusted face, "That's disgusting man. She was like 80 or something and I already have a girlfriend."

"**Uh, so, Esther," he said, "here's a hard question for you. Salt water in Atlanta. What's the first thing that comes to mind?"**

**The old lady chuckled. "Oh, sugar. That's easy. Whale sharks!"**

"Whale Sharks?" Everyone echoed.

The only one who said nothing was Will, because he was laughing. "She called you sugar."

**Frank and Percy exchanged looks.**

"**Whale sharks?" Frank asked nervously. "You have those in Atlanta?"**

"**At the aquarium, sugar," Esther said.**

"I guess she calls everyone sugar."

"AQUARIUM! THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!" Katie grinned.

Percy scowled and Poseidon muttered something about how aquariums should be banned from the universe.

"**Very famous! Right downtown. Is that where you wanted to go?"**

**An aquarium. Percy considered that. He didn't know what an Ancient Greek sea god would be doing at a Georgia aquarium, but he didn't have any better ideas.**

"You never do have any better ideas."

"**Yes," Percy said. "That's where we're going."**

**Esther dropped them at the main entrance, where a line was already forming. She insisted on giving them her cell phone number for emergencies, money for a taxi ride back to the Carter Center, and a jar of homemade peach preserves, which for some reason she kept in a box in her trunk. Frank stuck the jar in his backpack and thanked Esther, who had already switched from calling him sugar to son.**

"Why can't all mortals all be that nice?" Hermes complained.

"I wish they were. Maybe it's just the people in Atlanta."

**As she drove away, Frank said, "Are all people in Atlanta that nice?"**

**Hedge grunted. "Hope not. I can't fight them if they're nice. Let's go beat up some whale sharks. They sound dangerous!"**

Poseidon and Percy laughed.

"Oh Coach. You're in for a shocker."

'They're really sweet." Poseidon added.

**It hadn't occurred to Percy that they might have to pay admission, or stand in line behind a bunch of families and kids from summer camps.**

"Group picture!" Travis yelled.

"NO!"

"Oh-kay. Geez. Be rude. Just wanted a picture of my homes."

**Looking at the elementary schoolers in their colorful T-shirts from various day camps, Percy felt a twinge of sadness.**

Thalia looked at Percy, "You missed Camp didn't you?"

"Yeah. It was to long since I'd been home." Percy answered.

**He should be at Camp Half-Blood right now, settling into his cabin for the summer, teaching sword-fighting lessons in the arena, planning pranks on the other counselors.**

"Oh pranks. Sweet, Sweet pranks."

"Especially on the other counselors."

**These kids had no idea just how crazy a summer camp could be.**

"Oh, absolutely no idea." Lou Ellen agreed as the campers around her nodded.

**He sighed. "Well, I guess we wait in line. Anybody have money?"**

**Frank checked his pockets. "Three denarii from Camp Jupiter. Five dollars Canadian."**

**Hedge patted his gym shorts and pulled out what he found. "Three quarters, two dimes, a rubber band and—score! A piece of celery."**

"Oh yeah! When I'm looking for money, I defiantly would want a piece of celery."

**He started munching on the celery, eyeing the change and the rubber band like they might be next.**

A few campers snorted and Grover smiled, "Rubber Bands. Great with celery."

"**Great," Percy said. His own pockets were empty except for his pen/sword, Riptide. He was pondering whether or not they could sneak in somehow, when a woman in a blue-and-green Georgia Aquarium shirt came up to them, smiling brightly.**

"Monster." The campers all said together.

"Hold up." Butch said, making his hands in a _Time-Out_ sign and looking at the campers.

"How do you know it's a monster? Esther wasn't a monster and she was nice."

"Come on Butch." Pollux said, looking at the son of Iris out of the corner of his eye, "She nice. She's a monster."

"**Ah, VIP visitors!"**

"Okay. I fold. She's a monster." Butch said and crossed his arms, looking annoyed.

**She had perky dimpled cheeks, thick-framed glasses, braces, and frizzy black hair pulled to the sides in pigtails, so that even though she was probably in her late twenties, she looked like a schoolgirl nerd—sort of cute, but sort of odd.**

A few campers snickered at the look Annabeth was giving Percy.

"You think she's cute huh?"

"I said she was odd to." Percy pointed out.

"Come off of it Annabeth." Thalia said, smirking. "We all know Percy has a thing for nerds."

**Along with her Georgia Aquarium polo shirt, she wore dark slacks and black sneakers, and she bounced on the balls of her feet like she simply couldn't contain her energy. Her name tag read KATE.**

"**You have your payment, I see," she said. "Excellent!"**

"**What?" Percy asked.**

**Kate scooped the three denarii out of Frank's hand.**

"Yeah, she's a monster all right." Athena confirmed.

"**Yes, that's fine. Right this way!"**

**She spun and trotted off toward the main entrance.**

"Trap." Everyone in the room echoed.

**Percy looked at Coach Hedge and Frank. "A trap?"**

"**Probably," Frank said.**

"**She's not mortal," Hedge said, sniffing the air. "Probably some sort of goat-eating, demigod-destroying fiend from Tartarus."**

A few campers laughed at Coach Hedge's comment but Percy and Annabeth both grimaced.

Malcolm narrowed his eyes at Percy and Annabeth, noticing their grimaces.

_What the Hades happened to them! _His thoughts screamed in frustration.

"**No doubt," Percy agreed.**

"**Awesome." Hedge grinned. "Let's go."**

"Yeah, because who loves fighting monsters?" Demeter scowled and every single person in the room raised their hand, looking at the goddess.

She let out a sigh, "Why did I even ask?"

"Because you haven't had your wheaties today?" Apollo teased.

"Oh, shut up Apollo." The goddess grumbled, crossing her arms and letting out a _huff_ of annoyance as the other gods chuckled.

**Kate got them past the ticket queue and into the aquarium with no problem.**

"**Right this way." Kate grinned at Percy. "It's a wonderful exhibit. You won't be disappointed. So rare we get VIPs."**

"VIPS?" Chris voiced out loud. "You think that stands for something?"

"Oh, it does." Percy answered.

"What?"

"Not telling."

"Percy!" Connor whined. "Tell us."

Percy nodded to Butch to continue reading.

"**Uh, you mean demigods?" Frank asked.**

"Probably." Pollux said.

**Kate winked at him impishly and put a finger to her mouth. **

"That's not creepy. I hate it when monsters wink at you." Will shivered.

"When has a monster winked at you?" Thalia asked.

The son of Apollo looked at the Hunter and said, "You don't want to know Thalia. Trust me."

**"So over here is the cold-water experience, with your penguins and beluga whales and whatnot. And over there … well, those are some fish, obviously."**

"Oh, yeah. Some fish. So descriptive." Travis said dryly.

Posiden scowled, "You call yourself an aquarium worker! _Those are some fish!_ She says! That's completely ridiculous! Those fish have names that are important to know!"

**For an aquarium worker, she didn't seem to know much or care much about the smaller fish. They passed one huge tank full of tropical species, and when Frank pointed to a particular fish and asked what it was, Kate said, "Oh, those are the yellow ones."**

"_The yellow ones?_ I'll have you know that those are probably Yellow Tang." Poseidon huffed with exasperation.

**They passed the gift shop. Frank slowed down to check out a clearance table with clothes and toys.**

"**Take what you want," Kate told him.**

**Frank blinked. "Really?"**

"**Of course! You're a VIP!"**

"Another sign she's a monster." Annabeth pointed out.

**Frank hesitated. Then he stuffed some T-shirts in his backpack.**

"**Dude," Percy said, "what are you doing?"**

Hermes smiled, "Stealing. That a boy, Frank."

"He wasn't stealing."

"**She said I could," Frank whispered. "Besides, I need more clothes. I didn't pack for a long trip!"**

**He added a snow globe to his stash, which didn't seem like clothing to Percy.**

"Pft." Apollo snorted. "I wear snow globes all the time. So does Aphrodite. As earrings."

**Then Frank picked up a braided cylinder about the size of a candy bar.**

**He squinted at it. "What is—?"**

"**Chinese handcuffs," Percy said.**

Annabeth chuckled lightly and whispered, "Remember that picture your mom gave me? It was when you were a baby and you had your fingers stuck in those and you were crying."

"Hey." He warned her teasingly, "I was like 5. I didn't know what was happening."

**Frank, who was Chinese Canadian, looked offended.**

"Percy. I'm deeply surprised. You should've been more sensitive. You know how- Is there really a thing as Chinese Canadians?" Connor said, getting off topic.

"I guess."

"**How is this Chinese?"**

"**I don't know," Percy said. "That's just what it's called. It's like a gag gift."**

Connor and Travis smiled at each other. "Oh good old memories. Using that against small campers. Good times. Good times."

Thalia and Annabeth exchanged looks and then both grabbed pillows and vaulted it straight at their heads. It was perfect aim form both girls, and the twins were knocked onto their backs and then let out groans.

"**Come along, boys!" Kate called from across the hall.**

"**I'll show you later," Percy promised.**

**Frank stuffed the handcuffs in his backpack, and they kept walking.**

**They passed through an acrylic tunnel. Fish swam over their heads, and Percy felt irrational panic building in his throat.**

Percy muttered, "This is completely unfair."

Annabeth shrugged and said, "They have to hear our thoughts. Besides-" she lowered her voice, "It's better than them finding out about..._that place_."

He turned to her and he answered softly, "They're going to find out sometime. And it won't be pretty when they do. Your brother's already trying to figure it out."

"Yeah, I know. I can tell by his expression." Annabeth replied and glanced at her brother, who looked deep in thought and had one of his fingers fiddling with the carpet and he drawled out the possibilities on the carpet.

**This is dumb, he told himself. I've been underwater a million times. And I'm not even in the water.**

"That's true. And you're a son of Poseidon." Hermes said and Percy glared at him.

"Not helping."

"Right, sorry."

**The real threat was Kate, he reminded himself. Hedge had already detected that she wasn't human. Any minute she might turn into some horrible creature and attack them. Unfortunately, Percy didn't see much choice but to play along with her VIP tour until they could find the sea god Phorcys, even if they were walking deeper into a trap.**

"Smart." Clarrise commented and then she added hastily, "I never said that. Nothing leaves this room."

Percy nodded, too nervous to reply.

**They emerged in a viewing room awash with blue light. On the other side of a glass wall was the biggest aquarium tank Percy had ever seen. Cruising in circles were dozens of huge fish, including two spotted sharks, each twice Percy's size. They were fat and slow, with open mouths and no teeth.**

"Whale Sharks!" Poseidon said gleefully, "They're so sweet."

Zeus looked at him for a moment and said, "Yeah, we'll all take your word for that."

"**Whale sharks," Coach Hedge growled. "Now we shall battle to the death!"**

Connor and Travis busted out laughing along with a few more campers.

"Wish I was there." Annabeth said, smiling slightly.

Percy snorted quietly, "Yeah, no you don't."

**Kate giggled. "Silly satyr. Whale sharks are peaceful. They only eat plankton."**

The campers all groaned.

"Defiantly a monster. She called him a satyr." Will said.

Thalia rolled her eyes, "Yeah, we decided she was a monster when we first read about her."

**Percy scowled. He wondered how Kate knew the coach was a satyr.**

"Was he eating the furniture?" A camper asked.

"No."

"Does he smell like goats?"

Percy answered that one. "Only when his fur is wet."

"HEY!" Grover protested.

**Hedge was wearing pants and specially fitted shoes over his hooves, like satyrs usually did to blend in with mortals. His baseball cap covered his horns. The more Kate giggled and acted friendly, the more Percy didn't like her; but Coach Hedge didn't seem fazed.**

"Is he under a spell?" Hermes asked.

"No, I don't think so." Percy answered him.

"**Peaceful sharks?" the coach said with disgust. "What's the point of that?"**

"I don't know." Lou answered, "What's the point of war-crazed satyrs?"

**Frank read the plaque next to the tank. "The only whale sharks in captivity in the world," he mused. "That's kind of amazing."**

"_KIND OF?_ They shouldn't be in there in the first place." Poseidon complained.

"**Yes, and these are small," Kate said. "You should see some of my other babies out in the wild."**

A few campers exchanged glances. They never wanted to meet Kate and her_ babies_, whoever they were.

"**Your babies?" Frank asked.**

**Judging from the wicked glint in Kate's eyes, Percy was pretty sure he didn't want to meet Kate's babies. He decided it was time to get to the point. He didn't want to go any farther into this aquarium than he had to.**

"Smart. So you know your way out?" A campers asked.

"Ugh...more like he didn't want to be around the water any longer than he had to." Annabeth answered, casting a apologetic glance at Percy, who just shrugged.

"**So, Kate," he said, "we're looking for a guy … I mean a god, named Phorcys. Would you happen to know him?"**

**Kate snorted. "Know him? He's my brother.**

"Her brother? Of course he's your brother." Campers and Hunter groaned.

Poseidon thought for a moment and then moaned, "Don't tell me that's-"

"Yep. It is." Percy answered.

**That's where we're going, sillies. The real exhibits are right through here."**

**She gestured at the far wall. The solid black surface rippled, and another tunnel appeared, leading through a luminous purple tank. **

**Kate strolled inside. The last thing Percy wanted to do was follow, but if Phorcys was really on the other side, and if he had information that would help their quest … Percy took a deep breath and followed his friends into the tunnel.**

**As soon as they entered, Coach Hedge whistled. "Now that's interesting."**

"What? Is it a giant fish tank with giant goldfish?"

**Gliding above them were multicolored jellyfish the size of trash cans, each with hundreds of tentacles that looked like silky barbed wire. One jellyfish had a paralyzed ten-foot-long swordfish tangled in its grasp. The jellyfish slowly wrapped its tendrils tighter and tighter around its prey.**

Poseidon smirked as a few of his family grimaced.

"Yeah. Remind me to stay away from your ocean Poseidon." Apollo said.

**Kate beamed at Coach Hedge. "You see? Forget the whale sharks! And there's much more."**

**Kate led them into an even larger chamber, lined with more aquariums. On one wall, a glowing red sign proclaimed: DEATH IN THE DEEP SEAS! Sponsored by Monster Donut.**

Annabeth made an annoyed face and cursed under her breath.

"Great, just great.

**Percy had to read the sign twice because of his dyslexia, and then twice more to let the message sink in. "Monster Donut?"**

"**Oh, yes," Kate said. "One of our corporate sponsors."**

"What in Hades is Monster Donut?"

Annabeth answered Butch, "A pain in the butt."

**Percy gulped. His last experience with Monster Donut hadn't been pleasant. It had involved acid-spitting serpent heads, much screaming, and a cannon.**

"Huh?" A lot of campers had asked.

"Oh, yeah. You don't know do you. When we snuck out-Tyson, me and Annabeth- to save Grover and get the Golden Fleece." Percy replied and Clarisse rolled her eyes.

"I saved you."

"Yeah, and I returned the favor."

**In one aquarium, a dozen hippocampi—horses with the tails of fish—drifted aimlessly. Percy had seen many hippocampi in the wild. He'd even ridden a few; but he had never seen any in an aquarium. He tried to speak with them, but they just floated around, occasionally bonking against the glass. Their minds seemed addled.**

Percy's jaw tightened and his eyes glowed with anger.

Annabeth put her hand over his.

"**This isn't right," Percy muttered.**

"No kidding." Poseidon muttered angrily.

**He turned and saw something even worse. At the bottom of a smaller tank, two Nereids—female sea spirits—sat cross-legged, facing each other, playing a game of Go Fish. They looked incredibly bored. Their long green hair floated listlessly around their faces. Their eyes were half closed.**

**Percy felt so angry, he could hardly breathe.**

Percy was angry alright.

Not just because they had to read his thoughts, but because they had to relive every moment that led up to the fall.

There was no way out.

It all lead to a one-way-ticket to Tartarus.

**He glared at Kate. "How can you keep them here?"**

"Nice, now you got Percy angry." Thalia said.

"**I know." Kate sighed. "They aren't very interesting. We tried to teach them some tricks, but with no luck, I'm afraid. I think you'll like this tank over here much better."**

**Percy started to protest, but Kate had already moved on.**

"**Holy mother of goats!" cried Coach Hedge. "Look at these beauties!"**

"Holy mother of goats? Man, I am so using that one later." Travis smirked.

**He was gawking at two sea serpents—thirty-foot-long monsters with glowing blue scales and jaws that could have bitten a whale shark in half. In another tank, peeking out from its cement cave, was a squid the size of an eighteen-wheeler, with a beak like a giant bolt cutter.**

**A third tank held a dozen humanoid creatures with sleek seal bodies, doglike faces, and human hands. They sat on the sand at the bottom of the tank, building things out of Legos, though the creatures seemed just as dazed as the Nereids.**

"Are those what I think they are?" Will asked, his voice was now quiet.

Annabeth was the one to answer him, "Yeah, Telkhines."

A few of the Apollo children fell silent, because a few of their siblings had died fighting those in the Titan War.

"**Are those—?" Percy struggled to form the question.**

"**Telkhines?" Kate said. "Yes! The only ones in captivity."**

"They're cruel and dangerous!" Will shouted.

"How stupid can you get? You could get yourself killed." Austin, a son of Apollo snapped.

"**But they fought for Kronos in the last war!" Percy said. "They're dangerous!"**

Will nodded in approval and glowered at the book, his quiver and bow that were slung on his shoulder seemed to glow with gold energy.

**Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, we couldn't call it 'Death in the Deep Seas' if these exhibits weren't dangerous. Don't worry. We keep them well sedated."**

"Sedated?"

"**Sedated?" Frank asked. "Is that legal?"**

"Why would she care?" Percy muttered.

**Kate appeared not to have heard. She kept walking, pointing out other exhibits. Percy looked back at the telkhines. One was obviously a youngster. He was trying to make a sword out of Legos, but he seemed too groggy to put the pieces together. Percy had never liked sea demons, but now he felt sorry for them.**

"You shouldn't feel sorry for those demons."

"Yeah, they're monsters."

"**And these sea monsters," Kate narrated up ahead, "can grow five hundred feet long in the deep ocean. They have over a thousand teeth. And these? Their favorite food is demigod—"**

"Isn't all monster's favorite food demigod?" Thalia asked and most campers replied with a _Yeah _ or a _Probably. _

"**Demigod?" Frank yelped.**

"**But they will eat whales or small boats, too." Kate turned to Percy and blushed. "Sorry … I'm such a monster nerd! I'm sure you know all this, being the son of Poseidon, and all."**

"She knows you?" Poseidon asked.

"By knows, you mean heard of, then yeah. She knows me very well." Percy replied.

**Percy's ears were ringing like alarm bells.**

**He didn't like how much Kate knew about him. He didn't like the way she casually tossed out information about drugging captive creatures or which of her babies liked to devour demigods.**

"**Who are you?" he demanded. "Does Kate stand for something?"**

"**Kate?" She looked momentarily confused. Then she glanced at her name tag. "Oh …"**

"Yeah, I guess it does stand for something."

** She laughed. "No, it's—"**

"**Hello!" ** **said a new voice, booming through the aquarium.**

"Oh great. Another one." Hades muttered.

**A small man scuttled out of the darkness. He walked sideways on bowed legs like a crab, his back hunched, his arms raised on either side like he was holding invisible plates.**

**He wore a wet suit that was several horrible shades of green. Glittery silver words printed down the side read: PORKY'S FOLLIES. A headset microphone was clamped over his greasy wiry hair. His eyes were milky blue, one higher than the other, and though he smiled, he didn't look friendly—more like his face was being peeled back in a wind tunnel.**

"Hmm..." Will said, rubbing his face. "Felt that before. Not fun."

"He's like a crab." Demeter whispered.

"**Visitors!" the man said, the word thundering through the microphone. He had a DJ's voice, deep and resonant, which did not at all match his appearance. "Welcome to Phorcys's Follies!"**

**He swept his arms in one direction, as if directing their attention to an explosion. Nothing happened.**

Harley raised an eyebrow. "Maybe he wired the explosions the wrong way?"

"**Curse it," the man grumbled. "Telkhines, that's your cue! I wave my hands, and you leap energetically in your tank, do a synchronized double spin, and land in pyramid formation. We practiced this!"**

Artemis rolled her beautiful eyes, "Idiot."

Apollo shook his head, "Come on sis. You got to admit, that would be awesome."

She smiled at him and said, "Yes. It would be awesome. Awesomely the most stupidest thing I've ever heard of."

**The sea demons paid him no attention.**

"Come on sea demons. That would make the best show."

"No it wouldn't."

**Coach Hedge leaned toward the crab man and sniffed his glittery wet suit. "Nice outfit."**

**He didn't sound like he was kidding. Of course, the satyr wore gym uniforms for fun.**

Grover shook his head, but he had a smile on his face and he was laughing.

"Oh Gleeson."

"**Thank you!" The man beamed. "I am Phorcys."**

**Frank shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Why does your suit say Porky?"**

"Because he's Porky?" Will said, smiling at the campers as he tried to get them to laugh.

A few snorted at his attempt and he sighed, "No? Okay."

**Phorcys snarled. "Stupid uniform company! They can't get anything right."**

Hermes scowled, "They really can't. I ordered a uniform once and it said _Herb_ on it. That isn't even close to Hermes!"

Demeter smiled, "Herb. One of my favorite names."

**Kate tapped her name tag. "I told them my name was Keto. They misspelled it as Kate. My brother … well, now he's Porky."**

"I bet he is."

**"I am not!" the man snapped. "I'm not even a little porky.**

"**The name doesn't work with Follies, either. What kind of show is called Porky's Follies? But you folks don't want to hear us complain. Behold, the wondrous majesty of the giant killer squid!"**

Clarrise rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure they're shivering in their skin."

"It's trembling. Or is it shaking?" Malcolm interjected and then began muttering to himself.

**He gestured dramatically toward the squid tank. This time, fireworks shot off in front of the glass right on cue, sending up geysers of golden sparkles. Music swelled from the loudspeakers. The lights brightened and revealed the wondrous majesty of an empty tank.**

"WOAH! EMPTY TANK! BEST THING IN THE AQUARIUM!" Connor laughed loudly and soon the rest of the campers began chuckling with amusement.

"Nice Perce. Man, you have the best thoughts."

**The squid had apparently skulked back into its cave.**

The Stoll brothers both laughed and hi-fived.

"Best show ever!"

"**Curse it!" Phorcys yelled again. He wheeled on his sister. "Keto, training the squid was your job. Juggling, I said. Maybe a bit of flesh-rending for the finale. Is that too much to ask?"**

"Yeah, it's a flipping Giant Killer Squid. They don't like being told what to do." Poseidon interjected and then looked at Butch and added, "Continue."

"**He's shy," Keto said defensively.**

"And they are mostly shy." The sea god added and Zeus moved forward in his chair.

"How in Hades-"

"Shut up Zeus!"

"Do you know all of that?" He continued, ignoring Hades.

Poseidon smiled and said, "It's called being the sea god."

"**Besides, each of his tentacles has sixty-two razorlike barbs that have to be sharpened daily." She turned toward Frank. "Did you know the monstrous squid is the only beast known to eat demigods whole, armor and all, without getting indigestion? It's true!" **

"Oh, yeah." Annabeth muttered. "I'm sure Frank's so glad to hear that."

**Frank stumbled away from her, hugging his gut as if making sure he was still in one piece.**

"Oh Frank. You are officially a Roman I really like." Connor smiled and then added, "And your girlfriend's cute."

"Oh yeah. That totally count for something." Annabeth said, rolling her eyes.

"Of course it counts for something." Drew said, "It's like one of the most important things about you. What your boyfriend/girlfriend looks like."

"You're so...UGH...and I swear to the gods-" Annabeth broke into a quiet murmur of curse words in Greek and then she crossed her arms, as Percy rolled his eyes as Drew turned around and whispered to one of her sisters.

"**Keto!" Porky snapped—literally, since he clicked his fingers to his thumbs like crab claws.**

Everyone managed to let out a light chuckle.

** "You'll bore our guests with so much information. Less education, more entertainment!-**

Annabeth scowled and muttered, "Stupid Porky. Education is vital."

Athena nodded in agreement with her daughter, as did all of the Athena cabin.

**-We've discussed this."**

"**But—"**

"**No buts! We're here to present 'Death in the Deep Seas!' Sponsored by Monster Donut!"**

**The last words reverberated through the room with extra echo. Lights flashed. Smoke clouds billowed from the floor, making donut-shaped rings that smelled like real donuts.**

"Mmmm...real donuts." A Hermes kid whispered and groaned. "I miss the glazed taste of donuts."

"**Available at the concession stand," Phorcys advised. "But you've spent your hard-earned denarii to get the VIP tour, and so you shall! Come with me!"**

"**Um, hold it," Percy said.**

Athena threw up her hands and said, "Finally. At least you brought someone who had some sense to get to the point!"

Percy leaned towards Annabeth and muttered in her ear, "Seriously. It's crazy. What's up with your mother?"

She shrugged and smirked, "Maybe she's beginning to like you?"

"Oh yeah. I believe that when pigs fly." Percy answered and didn't miss the smirk grow on her face and her grey eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Real pigs, that didn't already have wings."

**Phorcys's smile melted in an ugly way. "Yes?"**

"Way to make him angry Perce."

"**You're a sea god, aren't you?" Percy asked. "Son of Gaea?"**

That when Thalia turned and punched Percy in the shoulder.

"Hey! What was that for?" He complained as he rubbed his shoulder blade.

"Stop being smart Kelp Head! It doesn't suit you! Your girlfriend's supposed to be the smart one."

Percy's gazed at her, his lips set in a firm line and he said, "Yeah thanks. I can tell you really care."

**The crab man sighed. "Five thousand years, and I'm still known as Gaea's little boy. Never mind that I'm one of the oldest sea gods in existence. Older than your upstart father, by the way. I'm god of the hidden depths! Lord of watery terrors! Father of a thousand monsters! But, no …nobody even knows me. I make one little mistake, supporting the Titans in their war, and I'm exiled from the ocean—to Atlanta, of all places."**

"Yeah, that does kinda suck for a sea god. Atlanta. Ugh, well...I guess it's better than the desert." Poseidon said.

"**We thought the Olympians said Atlantis," Keto explained. "Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead."**

Poseidon busted out laughing, "As if we would send you to _Atlantis_."

A few campers jaws dropped and a Nike camper raised her hand and said, "Is there really such a thing?"

Poseidon smirked at the camper and replied to her, "Of course there's such a thing."

"And why would someone send someone to the _Lost City of Atlantis_ as a _punishment_?" Zeus scoffed.

**Percy narrowed his eyes. "And you're a goddess?"**

"**Keto, yes!" She smiled happily. "Goddess of sea monsters, naturally! Whales, sharks, squids, and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It's true!" **

"Oh yeah. I'm sure that's just delicious." Hades said and tapped his pale fingers against his throne.

"That's disgusting. Imagine it." Thalia said, her electric blue eyes seemed to be sparking with energy, "The same meal for six years."

A few shrugged like that didn't both them while some held their stomachs, and looked like they were going to be sick.

**Frank was still clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick.**

**Coach Hedge whistled. "Six years? That's fascinating."**

"**I know!" Keto beamed.**

"No. It's really not."

Grover shrugged, "Satyrs. What'd you expect from Gleeson?"

"**And how exactly does a killer squid rend the flesh from its victims?" Hedge asked. "I love nature."**

A few shrugged and Apollo shrugged also, "Yeah, but I don't want to know how it could kill me."

"You can't die, stupid." Artemis reminded him and he shrugged.

"So. I don't want to become fleshless by a giant squid."

"You wouldn't even go in the water because of-"

"Butch keep reading. if they really started it could go one for days." Hera said and Butch nodded in agreement.

"**Oh, well—"**

"**Stop!" Phorcys demanded. "You're ruining the show! Now, witness our Nereid gladiators fight to the death!"**

"Ha. As if they would listen to you." Chris laughed.

**A mirrored disco ball descended into the Nereid exhibit, making the water dance with multicolored light. Two swords fell to the bottom and plunked in the sand. The Nereids ignored them and kept playing Go Fish.**

"Nice. Hey Perce, we should go playing Go Fish."

Percy chuckled, "I'm good Apollo."

**"Curse it!" Phorcys stomped his legs sideways.**

Almost everyone in the room broke into giggles at Phorcys little tantrum.

**Keto grimaced at Coach Hedge. "Don't mind Porky. He's such a windbag. Come with me, my fine satyr. I'll show you full-color diagrams of the monsters' hunting habits."**

"**Excellent!"**

"No! Don't get separated!" Athena snapped.

**Before Percy could object, Keto led Coach Hedge away through a maze of aquarium glass, leaving Frank and him alone with the crabby sea god.**

"Oh great. Is it panic time yet?" Poseidon muttered.

**A bead of sweat traced its way down Percy's neck. He exchanged a nervous look with Frank. This felt like a divide-and-conquer strategy.**

"That's always the strategy for monsters huh?"

Apollo muttered, "Most of the time."

**He didn't see any way the encounter was going to end well. Part of him wanted to attack Phorcys now—at least that might give them the element of surprise—but they hadn't found out any useful information yet. Percy wasn't sure he could find Coach Hedge again. He wasn't even sure he could find the exit.**

"Dammit." Thalia muttered.

"Come on Percy, use your longitude and latitude and freaky mind control thing." Connor smiled.

"Yeah. Problem solved."

Percy let out a deep breath through his nose and replied quietly, "Only works in the ocean Connor."

**Phorcys must've read his expression.**

"I hate it when people do that." A son of Hypnos groaned.

"**Oh, it's fine!" the god assured him. "Keto might be a little boring, but she'll take good care of your friend. And honestly, the best part of the tour is still to come!"**

"Which will probably lead you both to your deaths. Is this were the book left off?" Clarrise asked, looking closely at the book in Butch's hands.

"No." He answered and ran his finger down the spine of the book.

"Still got maybe half of the book left?"

"And Percy and Annabeth didn't die. Or they wouldn't be here right now."

That was when Malcolm noticed a change in the couple's expressions and postures.

Both of their shoulders tensed and Percy's right arm, which was laid behind Annabeth's shoulders moved so he had his arm around her and his hand was clenched tightly in Annabeth's own.

They both seemed to be holding their breath, like they were nervous something might spill out.

_That's it. I'm tired of not knowing what happened to them! _Malcolm began, "Something happened to you two and we-"

"Enough. Keep reading." His mother interrupted him and then gave him a warning look.

_We'll talk about this after this chapter, Malcolm._ Her voice echoed in his head and he gave her a slight nod.

**Percy tried to think, but he was starting to get a headache.**

"You know. That happened when ever you speak to me, Kelp." Thalia said, and Percy bit the corner of his lip distractedly.

"Yeah." Was his reply.

** He wasn't sure if it was from yesterday's head injury, Phorcys's special effects, or his sister's lectures on nauseating sea monster facts. "So …" he managed. "Dionysus sent us here."**

"Bacchus." Mr. D corrected and Percy let out an annoyed huff.

"**Bacchus," Frank corrected.**

"**Right." Percy tried to keep his annoyance in check. He could barely remember one name for each god.****Two was pushing it.**

"Wow. You think after 5 years of monster fighting, you would remember the gods names." Chris commented.

**"The wine god. Whatever." He looked at Phorcys. "Bacchus said you might know what your mom Gaea is up to, and these twin giant brothers of yours—Ephialtes and Otis. And if you happen to know anything about this Mark of Athena—"**

"**Bacchus thought I would help you?" Phorcys asked.**

"You'd better help them or I will send you to the desert." Poseidon muttered.

"**Well, yeah," Percy said. "I mean, you're Phorcys. Everybody talks about you."**

Artemis nodded thoughtfully, "Flattery? It might work on a thickheaded god like him."

**Phorcys tilted his head so that his mismatched eyes almost lined up. "They do?"**

"Classic Move." Apollo smiled.

"**Of course. Don't they, Frank?"**

"**Oh … sure!" Frank said. "People talk about you all the time."**

"**What do they say?" the god asked.**

"Okay, that's the time when you might get in trouble." Clarisse said.

"Say his nice outfit!" A camper shouted out.

**Frank looked uncomfortable. "Well, you have great pyrotechnics. And a good announcer's voice. And, um, a disco ball—"**

"**It's true!" Phorcys clacked his fingers and thumbs excitedly. "I also have the largest collection of captive sea monsters in the world!"**

"**And you know stuff," Percy added. "Like about the twins and what they're up to."**

"Nice! Your getting better." Thalia smiled at Percy.

Her expression fell when she noticed his pale face, and the way his breathing was deeper, like he was trying to calm himself down.

Annabeth didn't look much better and she then dropped her head on Percy shoulder and closed her eyes.

_Percy...Annabeth...Why can't you tell us what happened? _

"**The twins!" Phorcys made his voice echo. Sparklers blazed to life in front of the sea serpent tank. "Yes, I know all about Ephialtes and Otis. Those wannabes! They never fit in with the other giants. Too puny—and those snakes for feet."**

"How come most of the giants you see are small?"

Pollux shrugged, "I'd rather see a small giant than a big giant."

"**Snakes for feet?" Percy remembered the long, curly shoes the twins had been wearing in his dream.**

"**Yes, yes," Phorcys said impatiently. "They knew they couldn't get by on their strength, so they decided to go for drama—illusions, stage tricks, that sort of thing. You see, Gaea shaped her giant children with specific enemies in mind. Each giant was born to kill a certain god. Ephialtes and Otis … well, together they were sort of the anti-Dionysus."**

"Why do they need two for Mr. D?" Thalia asked.

"Because I'm a big threat." Mr. D answered, smiling at her for a moment before going back to his wine magazine.

**Percy tried to wrap his mind around that idea. "So … they want to replace all wine with cranberry juice or something?"**

Poseidon laughed, "No. but that would be funny."

**The sea god snorted. "Nothing like that! Ephialtes and Otis always wanted to do things better, flashier, more spectacular! Oh, of course they wanted to kill Dionysus. But first they wanted to humiliate him by making his revelries look tame!"**

**Frank glanced at the sparklers. "By using stuff like fireworks and disco balls?"**

"Yeah, I guess that's flashy." Aphrodite said.

**Phorcys's mouth stretched into that wind tunnel smile. "Exactly! I taught the twins everything they know, or at least I tried to. They never listened. Their first big trick? They tried to reach Olympus by piling mountains on top of one another. It was just an illusion, of course. I told them it was ridiculous. 'You should start small,' I said. 'Sawing each other in half, pulling gorgons out of a hat. That sort of thing. And matching sequined outfits. Twins need those!'"**

"Almost like those two, but you're not twins." Thalia said, pointing to Connor and Travis Stoll.

"**Good advice," Percy agreed. "And now the twins are—"**

"**Oh, preparing for their doomsday show in Rome," Phorcys sneered. "It's one of Mother's silly ideas. They're keeping some prisoner in a large bronze jar." He turned toward Frank. "You're a child of Ares, aren't you? You've got that smell. The twins imprisoned your father the same way, once."**

"**Child of Mars," Frank corrected. "Wait … these giants trapped my dad in a bronze jar?"**

Ares scowled at the memory and crossed his arms.

"I whipped their sorry butts."

"**Yes, another stupid stunt," said the sea god. "How can you show off your prisoner if he's in a bronze jar? No entertainment value. Not like my lovely specimens!"**

"Is that why he has an aquarium then?" Chris asked.

"Yeah I guess so." Grover answered.

**He gestured to the hippocampi, who were bonking their heads apathetically against the glass.**

**Percy tried to think. He felt like the lethargy of the addled sea creatures was starting to affect him.**

"Yeah, that would affect me to." Poseidon said.

"**You said this—this doomsday show was Gaea's idea?"**

"**Well … Mother's plans always have lots of layers." He laughed. "The earth has layers! I suppose that makes sense!"**

A few people laughed and Connor snickered, "A cake has layers. So does our new prank."

Travis smirked. "Oh yes. It does."

"**Uh-huh," Percy said. "And so her plan …"**

"**Oh, she's put out a general bounty on some group of demigods," Phorcys said. "She doesn't really care who kills them, as long as they're killed. Well … I take that back. She was very specific that two must be spared. One boy and one girl.-**

"Who are they?" Thalia asked.

Malcolm shrugged, "I don't know. Do you know who they are, Percy?"

Percy's looked at him and said, "No. I don't."

As the son of Poseidon looked away, Annabeth gave Malcolm a tired look.

_Drop it._ Her expression said.

**-Tartarus only knows why. At any rate, the twins have their little show planned, hoping it will lure these demigods to Rome. I suppose the prisoner in the jar is a friend of theirs or some such. That, or perhaps they think this group of demigods will be foolish enough to come into their territory searching for the Mark of Athena." Phorcys elbowed Frank in the ribs. "Ha! Good luck with that, eh?"**

"Yeah, okay. This guy needs his brain checked. Does he even have a brain?" Clarisse said.

Poseidon answered her, shrugging, "Some think not."

**Frank laughed nervously. "Yeah. Ha-ha. That would be really dumb because, uh …"**

**Phorcys narrowed his eyes.**

**Percy slipped his hand into his pocket.**

"Good, Get ready to fight in case anything happens." Ares nodded.

**He closed his fingers around Riptide. Even this old sea god must be smart enough to realize they were the demigods with the bounty on their heads. But Phorcys just grinned and elbowed Frank again. "Ha! Good one, child of Mars. I suppose you're right. No point talking about it. Even if the demigods found that map in Charleston, they'd never make it to Rome alive!"**

"Don't underestimate them." Thalia growled, "They're a lot stronger than Gaea, I know that much."

Many campers nodded in agreement with Thalia.

The gods however, stayed silent.

_Even the strongest break. _Most of them looked out through the corner of their eyes at Percy and Annabeth, who seemed to be ignoring the looks.

"**Yes, the MAP IN CHARLESTON," Frank said loudly, giving Percy a wide-eyed look to make sure he hadn't missed the information.**

"Okay. I'm not that slow." Percy grumbled.

**He couldn't have been more obvious if he had held up a large sign that read CLUE!**

Travis laughed, his voice vibrating from his laughter, "Nice Frank."

"**But enough boring educational stuff!" Phorcys said. "You've paid for the VIP treatment. Won't you please let me finish the tour? The three denarii entrance fee is nonrefundable, you know."**

**Percy wasn't excited about more fireworks, donut-scented smoke, or depressing captive sea creatures. But he glanced at Frank and decided they'd better humor the crabby old god, at least until they found Coach Hedge and got safely to the exit. Besides, they might be able to get more information out of Phorcys.**

"Good."

"**Afterward," Percy said, "can we ask questions?"**

"**Of course! I'll tell you everything you need to know." Phorcys clapped his hands twice. On the wall under the glowing red sign, a new tunnel appeared, leading into another tank.**

"**Walk this way!" Phorcys scuttled sideways through the tunnel.**

**Frank scratched his head. "Do we have to—?" He turned sideways.**

Several campers laughed at Frank's antics and Travis shook his head, whipping a tear from his eye.

"Oh man. This guy."

"**It's just a figure of speech, man," Percy said. "Come on."**

"Oh Percy." Chiron said, shaking his head with amusement.

"It's Lunch time everyone. We'll continue when we get back. Who would like to read next?"

Lacy raised her hand and said, "Can I, Chiron?"

"Of course dear. Now, come on." The campers were ushered out of the room and Athena put her hand on Malcolm's shoulder.

"Malcolm, walk with me. We need to talk."

**No, Malcolm is not gonna find out about what happened. I'm keeping my promise. I hope you liked it and have an awesome day! **

**Love, **

**BlackConverse3**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey. I won't be updating until August 9th, maybe. Because one of my closest friends just passed away from a car accident...and I just don't know what to do. I'm not even there right now, I should be but I'm in fucking Montana. She's been my best friend for 11 years, ever since 1st grade and it's pretty fucking hard right now. I was going to be here maid of honor and she was going to be mine, and I fucking love her, she's a sister to me. So, I'm sorry, I won't be updating until August 9th...and I have registration on August 8th for school also...so yeah. I will be writing the House of Hades, supposed to be an awesome announcement for that but...shit happens. So, here's the story. Thank you for the reviews you guys, reading them helped me a little bit. **

**Little advice, tell your friends you love them. You don't know if it'll be the last chance you get. And sorry for the grammar errors, my hands are shaking. And this chapter might suck, because I wasn't going to update because of what happened but I needed to write. Never a better time to write then when your crying or angry. That's what I always say. **

Athena walked along the cabins, examining the building structures of each one and then finally sat down on one of the campfire benches. Malcolm looked at her nervously, but settled down next to his mother and looked at her.

"Malcolm, stop trying to find out what happened. It will only bring them more pain that they don't need to have placed on them."

"Mom...please. You know what happened, if you could just tell me, I would-"

"Would know what happened to them?" She asked and gazed at him with her intelligent grey eyes. Her son nodded and Athena let out a soft sigh, "Malcolm, sometimes knowing, only causes pain. Not all knowledge should be learned."  
Malcolm remained silent and gazed over to the edge of the forest.

Percy and Annabeth were sitting there alone, Annabeth had her head resting against his shoulder and Percy's arm was wrapped around her tightly. He was looking down, his lips moving as he spoke to her in a soft voice. Annabeth closed her eyes for a moment and leaned over and placed a small kiss on Percy's cheek before saying something quietly to him.

"Do you know what they're talking about?" Athena asked her son, who shook his head.

"Something that happened long ago. That is all I know about it, though."

Percy stayed silent for a moment and then Annabeth said, "I'm sorry." He gave her a small smile and said, "It wasn't your fault. If anybody's, it was my own."

Annabeth then stood up and smirked, "Come on, Percy. I want the pleasure to kick your butt in a duel." Percy laughed and stood up, "Your on."

The two raced away, snapping insults at each other and trying, unsuccessfully, to trip the other.

Athena raised one eyebrow, "Do they always do that?"

"Nah." Malcolm waved her off, "Only when they're in a competition."

Athena gazed at him and asked, "Do you understand what I'm staying, my son?"

The son of Athena nodded his head and replied, "Yes. I do, mom. I won't pester them any longer. Until they want to reveal the information themselves."

She smiled at her son and nodded to the Dining Pavilion, which was full of chatting campers and satyrs. "Go eat. We have a long day ahead of us."

Once everyone finished eating, they made their way back to the Big House. Percy and Annabeth joined them, bickering about sword techniques and about how Annabeth "cheated".

"Percy. You know Annabeth kicked your butt fair and square." Thalia smirked at her cousin's eye roll that was directed at her.

"No, she cheated."

"She tripped you."

"Yeah, that's considered cheating."

"Never said that in the rules, Seaweed Brain."

Percy huffed but remained silent as Lacy took up the book and opened it to the right page.

"**Percy XVI**.**"**

"Ugh, why is it still my perspective."

"Wow, didn't know you knew such a big word Seaweed Brain." Annabeth smirked, making Percy send a glare towards her.

"Shut up Owl-Head."

**The tunnel ran along the floor of a gymnasium-sized tank. Except for water and some cheap decorations, it seemed majestically empty.**

Most of the campers smile.

"Like a classroom. Don't you just love it when it's empty?" Travis asked.

**Percy guessed there were about fifty thousand gallons of water over their heads. If the tunnel were to shatter for some reason …**

"Gods, you're going to give me a heart attack if you keep thinking stuff like that Percy." Poseidon said.

Percy smiled at him apologetically.

_**No big deal**_**, Percy thought.**_**I've been surrounded by water thousands of times. This is my home court.**_

"Good. Think calm thoughts. Goldfish crackers. Your mom's blue cookies. Cheese." Connor said, nodding like what he had just said made any sense at all.

**But his heart was pounding. He remembered sinking into the cold Alaskan bog—black mud covering his eyes, mouth, and nose.**

Percy and Poseidon both muttered at the same time, "I hate bogs."

"Doesn't everyone? They eat bunnies though, and I don't like bunnies." Grover said, picking away a twig off of his right goat leg.

Several people raised their eyebrows at this but Katie was the one to interject, "Bogs don't eat bunnies. They bunnies fall in and they get trapped in the bog. Are there even bunnies in Alaska?"

"Yes, I assume so. Though, I've never been there." Artemis answered the daughter of Demter.

**Phorcys stopped in the middle of the tunnel and spread his arms proudly. "Beautiful exhibit, isn't it?"**

**Percy tried to distract himself by concentrating on details. In one corner of the tank, snuggled in a forest of fake kelp, was a life-sized plastic gingerbread cottage with bubbles coming out of the chimney. In the opposite corner, a plastic sculpture of a guy in an old-fashioned diving suit knelt beside a treasure chest, which popped open every few seconds, spewed bubbles, and closed again.**

Percy grinned, "Sharkbait!"

"OhHaHa!" Annabeth finished, and they both laughed at the _Finding Nemo_ reference, one of Percy's favorite movies to watch when he was a kid: curled up on the couch with his mother, eating blue goldfish and being happy that Gabe wasn't there. Just him and his mother.

** Littered across the white sand floor were glass marbles the size of bowling balls, and a strange assortment of weapons like tridents and spearguns. Outside the tank's display wall was an amphitheater with seating for several hundred.**

"**What do you keep in here?" Frank asked. "Giant killer goldfish?"**

"Oh yes! We should keep Giant Killer goldfish in the Canoe lake. That would be such a good prank." Travis sighed.

Hermes nodded in agreement, "The best, son."

"Err...I mean. Don't ever do that." He said quickly as the rest of the gods glared at him. "It's dangerous."

"Don't give him that idea, Frank. Nobody knows what that idiot could do with those." Athena commented.

A daughter of Hermes leaned toward Travis and whispered in his ear, "Make a lot of money?"

"This is why you're my sister." He smiled at her.

**Phorcys raised his eyebrows. "Oh, that would be good! But, no, Frank Zhang, descendant of Poseidon. This tank is not for goldfish."**

Everyone in the room groaned, except for Percy and Annabeth, who were playing rock-paper-scissors to see who won the sword fight they just had.

"HA!" Annabeth smiled at Percy, who rolled his eyes as he lost because he put up paper and she put up scissors.

"And I didn't cheat. You should have specified in the rules that you couldn't trip someone to win." She smirked and he muttered under his breath, "Gods." Then he raised his voice, "Okay, you win. Happy?"

"Very."

**At descendant of Poseidon, Frank flinched. He stepped back, gripping his backpack like a mace he was prepared to swing.**

"Nice. I would do that to if I didn't have my weapon." Chris said.

"Technically, he always has he weapon on him." Athena muttered.

**A sense of dread trickled down Percy's throat like cough syrup. Unfortunately, it was a feeling he was used to.**

"Well, Percy, you do have a pretty extensive record of getting trapped." Hades commented.

"He's gets trapped all the time, in his girlfriend's eyes." Aphrodite smiled at the couple, who looked at each other with exasperated looks.

"Not really." Percy muttered, as Annabeth was rubbing circles in her temples.

"**How do you know Frank's last name?" he demanded. **

"Oh gods. Don't tell me you have a bounty on your heads?" Poseidon asked.

Percy smiled at his father, "Of course we have a bounty on our heads. We usually do." He gestured to Annabeth, who snorted.

"That the understatement of the century." She scoffed.

"Oh no. Percy's getting angry, watch out old Porpoise." Connor yelled.

"Porpoise?" Poseidon asked.

Artemis shook her head, "No. That's an insult to Porpoises."

"**Well …" Phorcys shrugged, trying to look modest. "It was probably in the descriptions Gaea provided. You know, for the bounty, Percy Jackson."**

"Why is there always a bounty?" Thalia growled.

"Stupid Gaea, I'm going to tear you to shreds for messing with my friends." Grover snapped at the book.

Lacy shrunk back at the angry glares everyone was giving the book.

"Why do they always use your whole name Percy?"

"I don't know. Monsters, gods, giants and titans are all like that."

"Hey!" The gods protested.

"Oh...sorry. Forgot you were here."

**Percy uncapped his pen. Instantly, Riptide appeared in his hand.**

"Yeah! Stab him in his ugly face!" Ares yelled.

Clarisse nodded in agreement.

**"Don't double-cross me, Phorcys. You promised me answers."**

"Yeah, but he's a son of Gaea. What do you expect?" Most campers voice their thoughts.

Annabeth shrugged, answering for Percy, "Not all children of the evil forces are bad." She glanced at Percy, who raised his eyebrow at her questionably.

She just shrugged at him and muttered, "It happened a long time ago. Doesn't mean it has to annoy me forever."

He smiled at her briefly and then nodded to Lacy to continue.

"**After the VIP treatment, yes," Phorcys agreed. "I promised to tell you everything you need to know. The thing is, however, you don't really need to know anything."**

"He sounds like the smartass Athena kids." Apollo muttered to Hermes.

Athena turned and smacked the sun god on the back of the head and snapped, "Don't compare that idiot to my children."

"She's right. Her children aren't idiots."

**His grotesque smile stretched wide. "You see, even if you made it to Rome, which is quite unlikely, you'd never defeat my giant brothers without a god fighting at your side. And what god would help you?-**

"I would." Apollo stated and Artemis nodded.

"That's one thing I could agree with."

Poseidon nodded, "So would I."

"And I as well." Athena answered, looking at her daughter.

"But you're in your Roman forms." Percy reminded them and they all grumbled about headaches.

**-So I have a better plan. You're not leaving. You're VIPs—Very Important Prisoners!"**

"Well...at least we know what that stands for." Chris said.

"Makes sense. They are very important and they are now prisoners." Lou muttered.

**Percy lunged. Frank hurled his backpack at the sea god's head. Phorcys simply disappeared.**

"Eh, I'll give you a 7 for trying." Apollo said.

"How would a backpack do anything?" Will asked. "He should have brought his bow and arrows."

"He wasn't expecting he would have to fight." A Nike camper spoke out loud.

Athena nodded and said, "Expect the unexpected."

After a few moments of silence, everyone in the room busted out laughing, some even falling on the floor.

"What? Why are they laughing?" She asked, turning to Apollo, who was cracking up in his throne, leaning against Hermes for support.

"Oh man. Your expression was _so_ serious when you said that." He laughed and then whipped his eyes with his finger.

"Keep reading Lacy." She grumbled, rolling her eyes as Apollo laughed silently into Hermes's shoulder, who was chuckling as well.

**The god's voice reverberated through the aquarium's sound system, echoing down the tunnel. "Yes, good! Fighting is good! You see, Mother never trusted me with big assignments, but she did agree that I could keep anything I caught. You two will make an excellent exhibit—the only demigod spawn of Poseidon in captivity.-**

"Oh, no you won't."

**-**'**Demigod Terrors'—yes, I like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven AM and one PM, with an evening show at seven PM."**

"Yeah, right." Clarrise snorted.

"**You're crazy!" Frank yelled.**

"**Don't sell yourself short!" Phorcys said. "You'll be our biggest draw!"**

**Frank ran for the exit, only to slam into a glass wall. Percy ran the other way and found it blocked as well. Their tunnel had become a bubble. He put his hand against the glass and realized it was softening, melting like ice. Soon the water would come crashing in.**

Athena tugged at a piece of her blonde hair, "That's actually pretty smart."

Posiden galred at her, "My son and Frank could die!"

"He's in water, he'll be fine." She dismissed.

"**We won't cooperate, Phorcys!" he shouted.**

"**Oh, I'm optimistic," the sea god's voice boomed. "If you won't fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the food here, you'll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you'll come to love your new home."**

"Yeah, I don't think he does if he's shouting at you."

**Over Percy's head, the glass dome cracked and began to leak.**

"**I'm the son of Poseidon!" Percy tried to keep the fear out of his voice.**

Some sent Percy sympathetic looks until he gave them a hard look to back off.

He didn't want sympathy...for anything that was going to happen.

** "You can't imprison me in water. This is where I'm strongest."**

"Also where he's strongest."

**Phcys's laugh seemed to come from all around them. "What a coincidence! It's also where I'm strongest. This tank is specially designed to contain demigods. Now, have fun, you two. I'll see you at feeding time!"**

**The glass dome shattered, and the water crashed in.**

"Oh, what fun." Thalia muttered.

**Percy held his breath until he couldn't stand it.**

"You hold your breath?" Poseidon asked, curious to why his son did that even if he knew he was able to breathe underwater.

Percy shrugged, "I don't know why I do it. I just feel...weird breathing in water. I guess."

**When he finally filled his lungs with water, it felt just like normal breathing. **

**The water pressure didn't bother him. His clothes didn't even get wet. His underwater abilities were as good as ever.**

_**It's just a stupid phobia**_**, he assured himself.**_**I'm not going to drown.**_

"What about Piper's visions?" Lacy asked, looking up to Annabeth.

She shrugged, "As we told you before, you have to wait and see what happens. We aren't going to reveal anything to you until the time comes."

**Then he remembered Frank, and he immediately felt a surge of panic and guilt.**

Percy winced at that sentence, remember how he would have felt if something had happened to Frank.

**Percy had been so worried about himself that he'd forgotten his friend was only a distant descendant of Poseidon. Frank couldn't breathe underwater.**

"Nope." Poseidon stated.

**But where was he?**

Annabeth chuckled lightly and Percy smirked with amusement.

**Percy turned in a full circle. Nothing. Then he glanced up. Hovering above him was a giant goldfish. Frank had turned—clothes, backpack, and all—into a koi the size of a teenagd boy.**

Travis and Connor laughed, along with the rest of the campers.

"Nice."

_**Dude**_**. Percy sent his thoughts through the water, the way he spoke with other sea creatures.**_**A goldfish?**_

"He could have turned into a sea turtle." Poseidon suggested.

"Why a sea turtle, I might ask?" Athena questioned.

He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. Just because."

**Frank's voice came back to him: I freaked. We were talking about goldfish, so it was on my mind. Sue me.**

"You should _so_ sue him Percy." Connor laughed.

_**I'm having a telepathic conversation with a giant koi,**_**Percy said.**_**Great.**_

"Oh Percy. Your sarcasm is like music to my ears." Grover said.

Apollo opened his mouth and Artemis smrked, "He means good music."

_**Can you turn into something more … useful?**_

**Silence. Maybe Frank was concentrating, though it was impossible to tell, since koi don't have many expressions.**

A few campers laughed at the sentence.

_**Sorry**_**. Frank sounded embarrassed.**_**I'm stuck. That happens sometimes when I panic.**_

_**Fine.**_**Percy gritted his teeth.**_**Let's figure out how to escape.**_

'Oh, Percy's mad." Travis snickered.

**Frank swam around the tank and reported no exits. The top was covered with Celestial bronze mesh, like the curtains that roll down over closed storefronts at the mall. Percy tried to cut through with Riptide, but he couldn't make a dent. He tried to smash through the glass wall with his sword hilt—again, no luck. Then he repeated his efforts with several of the weapons lying around the bottom of the tank and managed to break three tridents, a sword, and a speargun.**

"How did you manage to break a speargun?" Annabeth asked.

Percy looked at her and said, "I slammed it against the glass and it broke."

"Like what happened to your brain cells when you run into glass sliding doors?" Will asked.

"Ugh...yeah. Sure."

**Finally he tried to control the water. He wanted it to expand and break the tank, or explode out the top. The water didn't obey.**

'Dammit."

**Maybe it was enchanted, or under the power of Phorcys. Percy concentrated until his ears popped, but the best he could do was blow the lid off the plastic treasure chest.**

"Nice, Percy. That's the biggest accomplishment you've ever made." Will teased as Percy rolled his eyes at the son of Apollo and then gave him a kind smile.

**Well, that's it, he thought dejectedly. I'll have to live in a plastic gingerbread house the rest of my life, fighting my giant goldfish friend and waiting for feeding time.**

"Nah, your too stubborn for that Perce. You hate being trapped."

"And don't you hate gingerbread?" Annabeth asked.

**Phorcys had promised they'd learn to love it. Percy thought about the dazed telkhines, the Nereids and hippocampi, all swimming in bored, lazy circles. The thought of ending up like that didn't help to lower his anxiety level.**

**He wondered if Phorcys was right. Even if they managed to escape, how could they defeat the giants if the gods were all incapacitated? **

Annabeth growled, "Don't think like that."

**Bacchus might be able to help. He had killed the twin giants once before, but he would only join the fight if he got an impossible tribute, and the idea of giving Bacchus any kind of tribute made Percy want to gag himself with a Monster Donut.**

All the campers who knew about Mr. D and Percy relationship, all shrugged.

"I still want to gag myself for doing that." percy muttered.

Annabeth shoved his shoulder, "Hush."

_**Look! **_**Frank said.**

"It's a train!" Will shouted.

"It's a boat!" Connor commented.

"No. It's a flying dagger...HOLY CR-DUCK!"

Annabeth glared at the three boys and yelled, "Would you shut up and stop yelling! Let Lacy read!"

**Outside the glass, Keto was leading Coach Hedge through the amphitheater, lecturing him on something while the coach nodded and admired the stadium seating.**

"COACH!"

_**Coach! **_**Percy yelled. Then he realized it was hopeless. The coach couldn't hear telepathic yelling.**

"Man, I wish everyone could hear telepathic hearing!" Harley joked.

"I can hear Grover's. And he can hear mine...as long as it;s aout food." Percy stated, while Grover looked offended, "I always hear you, Percy."

**Frank bumped his head against the glass.**

**Hedge didn't seem to notice. Keto walked him briskly across the amphitheater. She didn't even look through the glass, probably because she assumed the tank was still empty. She pointed to the far end of the room as if saying, Come on. More gruesome sea monsters this way.**

**Percy realized he had only a few seconds before the coach would be gone. He swam after them, but the water didn't help him move as it usually did. In fact, it seemed to be pushing him back. He dropped Riptide and used both arms.**

"You're struggling in water?"

Percy shrugged, "He has control over water to."

**Coach Hedge and Keto were five feet from the exit.**

**In desperation, Percy scooped up a giant marble and hurled it underhanded like a bowling ball.**

"Nice." Hermes smiled.

**It hit the glass with a thunk—not nearly loud enough to attract attention.**

**Percy's heart sank.**

**But Coach Hedge had the ears of a satyr.**

Campers cheered.

"Yeah baby! The satry saved them!" Travis grinned.

Chiron nodded approvingly towards the book, as if Coach Hedge was in the room.

**He glanced over his shoulder. When he saw Percy, his expression went through several changes in a matter of microseconds—incomprehension, surprise, outrage, then a mask of calm.**

"Huh?"

**Before Keto could notice, Hedge pointed toward the top of the amphitheater. It looked like he might be screaming,**_**Gods of Olympus, what is that?**_

The Stolls both snorted.

**Keto turned.**

"It worked? Those Titans and Giants are getting worse." Thalua said.

**Coach Hedge promptly took off his fake foot and ninja-kicked her in the back of the head with his goat hoof. Keto crumpled to the floor.**

"GO COACH HEDGE!"

"I wish he was my gym teacher." Hermes smiled.

**Percy winced. His own recently whopped head throbbed in sympathy, but he had never been happier to have a chaperone who liked mixed martial arts cage matches.**

"So, it was pretty useful then." Chiron smiled.

**Hedge ran to the glass. He held up his palms like:**_**What are you doing in there, Jackson?**_

"You know, just hanging out with a goldfish, I do this every Friday." Will commented.

"Why does he always use your last name?"

**Percy pounded his fist on the glass and mouthed:**_**Break it! **_

_**He**_**ge yelled a question that might have been:**_**Where's Frank?**_

**Percy pointed at the giant koi.**

**Frank waved his left dorsal fin. 'Sup?'**

Several people cracked up at that.

**Behind Hedge, the sea goddess began to move. Percy pointed frantically.**

**Ares yelled, "Hit her again, goat!"**

**Hedge shook his leg like he was warming up his kicking hoof, but Percy waved his arms, No. They couldn't keep whopping Keto on the head forever. Since she was immortal, she wouldn't stay down, and it wouldn't get them out of this tank. It was only a matter of time before Phorcys came back to check on them.**

'Wow, I'm impressed. That was actually smart."

_**On three,**_**Percy mouthed, holding up three fingers and then gesturing at the glass.**_**All of us hit it at the same time.**_

**Percy had never been good at charades,-**

Annabeth laughed, "Compelte understandment."

**-but Hedge nodded like he understood. Hitting things was a language the satyr knew well.**

A lot of people laughed and nodded in agreement.

**Percy hefted another giant marble.**_**Frank, we'll need you too. Can you change form yet?**_

**_Maybe back to human._**

**_Human is fine! Just hold your breath. If this works …_**

**Keto rose to her knees. **_**No time to waste.**_

**Percy counted on his fingers. One, two, three!**

**Frank turned to human and shoved his shoulder against the glass. The coach did a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick with his hoof. **

"Chuck Norris is awesome."

**Percy used all his strength to slam the marble into the wall, but he did more than that. He called on the water to obey him, and this time he refused to take no for an answer. He felt all the pent-up pressure inside the tank, and he put it to use. Water liked to be free. Given time, water could overcome any barrier, and it hated to be trapped, just like Percy. **

Thalia patted his shoulder, "Good job Perce. Using your anger to good use."

**He thought about getting back to Annabeth.**

"I think that's what motivated me the most." Percy muttered to Annabeth, who smiled at him.

** He thought about destroying this horrible prison for sea creatures. He thought about shoving Phorcys's microphone down his ugly throat. Fifty thousand gallons of water responded to his anger.**

"Percy angry equals a whole lot of butt kicking." Connor grinned.

**The glass wall cracked. Fracture lines zigzagged from the point of impact, and suddenly the tank burst. Percy was sucked out in a torrent of water. He tumbled across the amphitheater floor with Frank, some large marbles, and a clump of plastic seaweed. Keto was just getting to her feet when the diver statue slammed into her like it wanted a hug.**

"You should give it a hug Percy. It'll like you." Hermes laughed.

Percy shook his head, but he was laughing, "I'm good Hermes."

**Coach Hedge spit salt water. "Pan's pipes, Jackson! What were you doing in there?"**

Connor rolled his eyes, "We've told you this, Coach. hanging with my peeps."

"**Phorcys!" Percy spluttered. "Trap! Run!"**

Athena commented, "I can see your very advanced in speaking, son of Poseidon."

"Shut it, Owl-Head." Poseidon snapped.

**Alarms blared as they fled the exhibits. They ran past the Nereids' tank, then the telkhines. Percy wanted to free them, but how? They were drugged and sluggish, and they were sea creatures. They wouldn't survive unless he found a way to transport them to the ocean.**

Posiden's eyes softened and he looked at his son and said, "We'll find a way, son. Don't worry about it."

Percy looked up and noodded.

**Besides, if Phorcys caught them, Percy was pretty sure the sea god's power would overcome his. And Keto would be after them too, ready to feed them to her sea monsters.**

**I'll be back, Percy promised, but if the creatures in the exhibits could hear him, they gave no sign.**

**Over the sound system, Phorcys's voice boomed: "Percy Jackson!"**

"Percy Jackson, you broke one of their fish tanks, what do you have to say for yourself?" Connor demanded.

Percy closed his eyes and muttered, "Is this chapter done with?"

**Flash pots and sparklers exploded randomly. Donut-scented smoke filled the halls. Dramatic music—five or six different tracks—blared simultaneously from the speakers. Lights popped and caught fire as all the special effects in the building were triggered at once.**

"Damn, that would be compeltey trippy to have at a school." Apollo said.

'i know, that would freak so many people out."

**Percy, Coach Hedge, and Frank stumbled out of the glass tunnel and found themselves back in the whale shark room. The mortal section of the aquarium was filled with screaming crowds—families and day camp groups running in every direction while the staff raced around frantically, trying to assure everyone it was just a faulty alarm system.**

Most of the campers rolled their eyes, "Mortals." They said.

"Hey!" Racheal shouted.

They all looked at her sheepishly whole Connor put his arm around her, "It's alright Rach. You don't count."

"That;s offensive." Racheal said, shoving the demigod away from her.

**Percy knew better. He and his friends joined the mortals and ran for the exit.**

"Good! Who wants to read next?" Lacy asked, holding up the book.

A few campers looked at each other and then Zeus raised his hand, "I'll do it."

Lacy handed the book to him, bowed and then settled back down with her cabinmates.

Zeus turned the page and cleared his throat.

"**Annabeth XVII**."

**Thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome. **

**Love, **

**BlackConverse3**


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